Away From It All
by kitsuneonna
Summary: Lina's on her own, but is she getting away to find herself or maybe she doesn't want to share the treasure? Now it seems trouble's never far behind when two old friends join her journey to a mysterious sorcerer's city! 'M' for Zelgatorture and language
1. Lina's Oh So Devious Scheme

Alright, this is the part where I say that I do not own Slayers in any way shape or form, and that I'm just a poor lil' college student who takes artistic license with the idea for giggles. I gain no money by doing this; so I'm not even worth suing, Ok?

Ok, that having been said, I want to say a few things about this fic. Lina Inverse is my absolute all time favorite female anime character and I wrote this with the intent to see her grow as a person. As we grow older, one of the things we find out is that we're not indestructible and that we make mistakes. There are more than a few fics out there in which Lina sets out on her own, but I never thought her reasons were fleshed out enough. So this is my stab at it. The other Slayers cast show up, but this is mainly Lina's story. There's plenty of darkness and very bad stuff happening later on, just to let some of you know. I wrote the outline of this story whilst listening to Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar, if that's any indication. Having said that, the later appearance of the infamous Beast Priest shouldn't come as a surprise.

Away From It All

A Slayers fanfiction

By Kitsuneonna

Lina's Oh So Devious Scheme

Lina leaned back from the table with a great belch ending with a satisfied sigh. Her boots clattered down amongst the remains of her breakfast. The terrified staff of the unlucky tavern all flinched as one at the sound.

A short visit to see Silphiel had stretched out to more than a month so far, with no end in sight. All this rest and relaxation was starting to affect Lina's appetite. Not to mention this serene town without any bandits around for miles was affecting her monetary situation. She sighed again as she counted out her remaining gold pieces. For the last few days, she had taken to eating in taverns instead of at Silphiel's place.

Gourry had been right; Silphiel was indeed a really great cook. However, Lina's nerves were wearing thin with Silphiel's 'little woman' routine. Predictably, Gourry ate it up along with all that 'great cooking!' But…

"If I have to hear the words 'Dearest Gourry' once more…." Lina grimaced.

She contemplated yesterday morning's breakfast. As usual, Gourry had woken her up and scrambled for the kitchen. For the first week and a half they'd been there, she had joined him in his mad dash. This morning, as with the past few mornings, she had dragged her feet, going downstairs with her shoulders slumped. As was the case every morning, Silphiel wore a cute little frilly apron, doing her best to look domestic and succeeding. Gourry was already at the table, tearing into his breakfast with ferocity--unmatched--aside from dinner the night before. The meal had been predictably excellent. Lina almost hoped (Just for variety, at least) Silphiel would slip up whilst cooking once in a while so everything wasn't always so perfect. Lina ate her meal almost mechanically, listening to the interchange between a love-struck shrine maiden and the jellyfish-brained object of her affections. For the entire meal, Silphiel hovered around them making sure everything was all right. Did 'Dearest Gourry have enough food on his plate?' 'Dearest Gourry, would you like more juice?' 'How is it, Dearest Gourry?' Silphiel did not ignore Lina either, as it would have been rude. Lina just asked less of Silphiel, as the other girl's sweetness was ruining her appetite. _Also, why doesn't Silphiel ever take that silly damned apron off and eat with us?_ The constant hovering continued, however. They'd been visiting for more than a month and it bothered Lina that she seemed the only one annoyed with the situation.

What was worse, Gourry showed no indication of getting restless and wanting to move on, as he used to do. He used to be the one who'd get twitchy if they stayed longer than a few weeks. Normally in a situation like this, she would have dragged him out of town by his hair. She couldn't do that now, because Gourry had changed. Lina frowned sadly as she reflected on the difference in her long time traveling companion. Over the last six months or so, his reluctance at moving on once they visited a town had grown. He might not notice the change, but Lina did. Gourry was tired. Lina had decided on her own that if Gourry wanted to stay put, she'd better leave him with someone who could take care of him. Hence the reason to visit Silphiel in the town of Navian where she stayed with her uncle. Once they got here though, Lina realized she hadn't thought of how to leave town without Gourry. She had put it off a bit, out of her reluctance to part with him. The longer they stayed though, the more settled in Gourry got, and the more irritable Lina became.

However, out of her irritability Lina had devised the perfect excuse—er--plan! She'd needed to come up with business that Gourry couldn't be a part of. Being the beautiful sorcery genius that she was, her scheme was simple and brilliant. Lina glowed as she basked in her own ingeniousness for a moment. What she'd needed was a place Gourry couldn't go. Something to do with magic…

The sorcerer's city, Buldein had fit her needs perfectly. Its location was unknown to those not in the Magic Guild. However, it was widely known as the mysterious and legendary stronghold of the Guild. Therefore Silphiel would accept it, and help Lina convince her block-headed partner. As settled in as he may be, Gourry might still feel that as Lina's protector, when she left, it was his duty to go as well. One of the well-known aspects of the Buldein legend would work to her advantage, though. Buldein allowed only members of the Magician's Guild as well as some non-Guild shamans and sorcerers to pass through its gates; a powerful spell on the city itself denied entry and even detection of the city otherwise.

Well, today was the day she was definitely going to do it! She'd waited long enough to see if Gourry showed the least hint of being as sick of this peaceful town as she was. There'd been no sign of that; he was even talking to some of the local kids about lessons in swordsmanship. Something like that was a sure indication of a desire to stay.

"Right! Time to get to it." Lina thought as she got up with a resolute clatter of her chair. She tossed all but two of the last of her gold to the violently shivering tavern keeper who, for all his shaking, caught them adroitly.

"Keep the change Pops!" Lina chirped as she walked out the door. She didn't remember the last time she'd said that. An evil smirk spread across her face as she considered that once on the road, she'd find some unlucky evildoers, liberate them of their gold and roast their—

"Oy! Lina!" She turned to squint at Gourry, the late morning sun overcoming her after the dimness of the tavern. Thoughts of destruction relegated themselves to the back burner as she beamed at her partner.

"Gourry! Just the person I was looking for!"

"You were looking for me too?" He looked back at the tavern she'd just quit. "I wouldn't have been in there Lina… Silphiel made breakfast! You really missed out!"

"It's okay Gourry, I've eaten her cooking every day for the past month and a half." Lina grumbled. "I think I can afford skipping it now and then."

At this, Gourry looked a little perplexed. "You must be crazy, I could never grow tired of Silphiel's cooking…"

"That's what I'm counting on.." Lina muttered.

"Huh? What was that Lina?"

"Oh nothing. Hey, let's get back to Silphiel's. We have to talk."

"Okay."

Author's Notes: For those of you following the story, this is an update. As you may have noticed, I first posted this years ago, and then promptly went on hiatus. The story stayed in my head, and here we are now. Things change over the years, and there have always been some things I've wanted to fix. I am removing all Japanese words. I've come to the opinion that their usage in an English language fic is a bit on the pretentious side. Also, I've had to do too much explaining to my proofreader, who is not an anime fan, doesn't know Japanese, and is just reading on the merits of the story. I wasn't being fair to her. So… version 2.0 is dedicated to Tonya. I would appreciate any reviews—if anyone notices and likes/hates the re-edit.


	2. Don't tie me down

Don't tie me down 

Midday found Silphiel and Lina comfortably seated at a table in Silphiel's uncle's courtyard. Lunch had been served and devoured with the usual gusto, and now they were outdoors, enjoying the warm spring day. Lina and Silphiel sipped tea and conversed about nothing in particular. Gourry sat at a bench nearby, sharpening his sword and adding his two copper to the conversation from time to time. That was about what his input was worth, according to Lina, but she didn't really have the heart to point it out to him. Right now he seemed lost in his work, relaxed and happy. He smiled as he ran the whetstone up and down the edges of the blade, occasionally dunking the stone in a bucket next to him. Then he'd repeat the actions. Watching him, she wondered if he was capable of hypnotizing himself doing this.

"You know, I'm really glad to see Gourry settling in here." Lina sipped her tea.

"Yes," Silphiel turned to gaze adoringly at the subject of Lina's comment. She added with a blush, "Gourry-dear has such an amiable personality—it appeals to everyone in town!"

_Humph! More like no one feels threatened by a jellyfish!_ Lina thought with a mental snort.

Keeping diplomacy foremost in mind, although it strained her abilities to do so, she said weakly, "Yeah, it helps…" Lina began to fidget and squirm in her chair. She wasn't looking forward to breaking the news of her plans to Gourry--but she had to face the facts. _Time to get down to business--I just have to get it over with,_ she thought. "Well, what I was meaning to ask was…" She took a deep breath, and it all came out in a tumble of words. "Maybe it would be alright if Gourry stayed here while I attend to some pressing business elsewhere. I have a trip to make that will take a few months…" Gourry's reply was immediate, just as she expected.

"Absolutely not, Lina!" Gourry put his sword and whetstone aside. "Everywhere you go, I go. We're a team."

That being the statement Lina had been waiting for, she pounced. "Well in most cases that's true Gourry. This time though, I have to go by myself."

In the ensuing silence as Gourry tried to digest this, Silphiel broke in. "What do you mean, Lina?"

"I've been on the road for a few years now. It's time I went to Buldein to record my travels." Lina answered swiftly, certain of Silphiel's support in this interest. It was a reasonable goal for her, and luckily, Buldein was famous. Its mysterious legend was even well-known amongst the non-magic using population.

"Oh!" Silphiel looked impressed. "You mean the hidden mage's city?!"

Lina had expected and was apparently getting a little overacting on Silphiel's part for Gourry's benefit. _She must be overdoing it to cover up her relief. I know she must have been dreading the day we would pick up and leave._ She gazed intently at the somewhat overeager shrine maiden._ Why else would she never mention the inevitable? On the other hand, what other places go by the name of Buldein, for crying out loud? Sheesh! She really ought to try playing it a little cooler_. Aloud, and remembering tact, Lina replied, "Yep, the very one."

She was about to start filling them in on the glories of the mysterious city for additional ways to impress, but Gourry interrupted. "Mage's city? I know I would be out of place, but why can't I come too? I've never heard of it."

Not surprised in the least that her idiot companion was once again in the dark about something, "I was just getting to that, so shut up and listen!" Lina sniped back at him. She switched to teacher mode for Gourry's benefit; to explain things to him anyone over the age of eight ought to know about the place. "To make sure Buldein's location remains a secret, I can't be accompanied by a non-magic user. If I had you with me Gourry, and I tried entering the city, the consequences…" She sighed and shook her head.

Gourry looked doubtful, like he'd still be willing to argue the point. Silphiel on the other hand, sat on the edge of her chair, enrapt.

"What would they do, Lina?" She breathed the question nervously.

"Well…" Lina looked slightly grim at the thought of what could happen to an unsuspecting Gourry, "That is a secret." Lina snickered inwardly. I've always wanted to say that! "At least it's a Guild secret." She amended.


	3. The Long Road Away

The Long Road Away or,

The Quick Trip to Instant Riches

The next morning she was on her way. It had been easier than she'd thought it would be. With Silphiel helping in the explanations, Gourry had been more willing to accept that Lina wasn't putting one over on him. She'd decided almost immediately that she would leave in the morning; she felt guilty about this, and really saw no need to hang around. It would have just made everything worse. Gourry and Silphiel walked to the edge of town with her to say their farewells. She'd have to make her leave-taking short; seeing Gourry's sad and troubled face was tearing her to pieces. She caught herself as she was about to make her reassurance to him and said, "Don't worry Gourry, I'll be back once I'm done with traveling."

Gourry bestowed an almost crushing bear hug on her and simply said, "Take care, Lina."

She noted Silphiel's thoughtful look as he said it. The possibility of Silphiel sensing the meaning behind Lina's words worried her. _If she says anything now, I'm in trouble_… Lina mused. Even though the shrine maiden was head over heels for Gourry, that didn't make her an idiot as well. _It just means she has very questionable taste, heh heh_.

As a distraction, she mock-whispered, "Hey Silphiel, take good care of my partner while I'm gone." Her ploy worked. She could almost hear the gears grinding as Silphiel recalled she would have her 'Dearest Gourry' all to herself.

As a demure, delicate smile played across Silphiel's lips, she said shyly, "Don't worry Lina, I will try to do my best for Gourry dear."

With a last wave goodbye Lina left the town of Navian and her partner behind. As she walked away, Lina quashed her sorrow at leaving Gourry behind. She told herself again this course of action was best for all involved. Besides, after a few months with Silphiel, Gourry might be tearing his hair out and anxious to leave. Or he might be married by the time she returned. Lina really had no idea when she'd be back. Well, there was no use trying to foresee what might be. She had to concentrate on the journey ahead.

She broke into an eager trot, her sense of freedom finally taking her over, exhilarating her. The morning air was still slightly chilly; however the sun had been up a few hours, and it warmed her as she alternated between a steady walk and a brisk trot. The dirt track she followed was dry and solid, with a minimum of dust. She could see the road ahead for miles as it wound its way west. Birds sang and performed their aerial acrobatics in the warm late spring air. It was going to be a beautiful day for traveling, by her reckoning.

She decided Buldein was a decent destination to head for; after all, it didn't entirely have to serve as an excuse to get away. It would be a good place to start. Honestly though, up until now, she'd had little use for the legendary city. Once again, she thought of the reputation the place had. It was known as the birthplace of the Magic Guild, and was believed to have been built well over two thousand years ago. The general populace believed it to be an awe-inspiring city of wonders. Rumor claimed it was a floating castle in the sky. There were wilder things said about Buldein--which couldn't be further from reality either.

Years ago, her visit to Buldein had been sort of a disappointment to her; but then the truth sometimes is. Lina hadn't really believed the floating castle story when she was younger, what she saw after topping the hill was a real letdown. She was expecting to be at least a_ little_ impressed. Buldein appeared to be nothing more than a ramshackle old tower surrounded by a hodgepodge of ruins and little cottages. Only her sheer curiosity at how the Guild had never once bothered to remodel convinced her to investigate further. She soon found a sign (which was there in thanks to the Buldein Welcome Committee 'Enjoy Your Stay!') inside the tower. The sign indicated she should descend the stairs behind her. Once down the stairs, she discovered the true secret city, which was entirely underground. The immensity of the tunnel network astonished her. The entire place was built mainly of stone and steel—reinforced with what must have been worth an emperor's ransom of orihalcon. Magic lanterns made everything down below bright as day, so she was able to inspect her surroundings far better. Runes for enhancing strength and durability were carved on every tunnel support, ceiling and wall. She found out the city was composed of eight levels, with several sectors branching out from the main hub. The hub itself was an incredible feat of magical engineering. If Lina stood at the mouth of the hub on the top level, she could see a sheer plummeting drop eight levels below her. She soon found out she could simply step off the edge while saying, 'down' or 'up' and she would be floated there, without even having to cast levitate. The sheer amount of magic embedded within the city was overwhelming. It was far more ordinary a place than, say, a floating castle, however its magnificence surpassed anything she'd ever heard of til then.

When she mentioned her amazement to an old, gray-bearded wizard in a patched cloak, he chuckled, seeing the young bright-eyed sorceress could be even further impressed. He told her, "The walls are also be-spelled with powerful wards against Mazoku magic. It's been said only Lord Ruby-Eye himself could tear us down. Not much chance of that happening now, wouldn't you say?"

Once she got over her amazement at the incredible scale and forethought that went into the building of Buldein, details small and large began catching her attention. At the outskirts the testing theaters--large open spaces, reinforced and shielded--were located. These had once seen truly incredible magic long ago. However, most of these were barricaded. Even some of the levels themselves were blocked off. Quite a few of the vendor stalls in the market were closed. In these vast tunnels, which were capable of holding hundreds, she rarely saw more than a group of ten at a time. Among those inspecting the available goods, she began noticing certain similarities. The greater part of the population consisted of elderly wizards and the like, she noted to herself as she walked among them. The others were harder to pin down as they were quite a rag-tag group; from conversation she gathered they consisted mostly of wanderers like her. By and large though, there weren't a lot of people at all.

"The city's in decline these days, young lady," another old wizard wearing a robe which had gone threadbare in places told her. "The days of experimentation seem to have ceased for a time, and the city reflects it."

Well, the libraries were second to none, but Buldein's glory days had long since passed. The city used to be a place where mighty spells were researched and perfected by sorcerers of great wisdom. Now, its main contribution to the Magic Guild anymore was as a sort of retirement community and market place. A sorcerer with nothing else to do could relax and talk shop with his or her fellow magic-users. Some left their lives in the outside world behind to retire to the libraries. An old wizard could spend the rest of his life following up on a lifetime of research. Those who had traveled recorded their experiences in the outside world in the libraries as well. Some of the journals that came of this were considered priceless to many a wanderer. These days magic was researched, but no longer tested. The lonely halls were desolate and held nothing new for Lina. She left and let the city continue to dream of its former grandeur.

Lina's attention shifted from her thoughts to her surroundings. She had reached a forest, and it was well past midday. It was time to look for somewhere she could have lunch. She quickly found an open space off the road, sat down and looked in her pack. Silphiel had made quite a lot for her, but she gobbled it down quickly. As she ate, she thought of her plans. Aside from what she told Gourry and Silphiel, she had something else in mind. Buldein was an incredible source of gossip. All those roving sorcerers brought stories of things they'd heard in other lands. Lina hoped she would hear something really interesting while she recorded her travels. She thought a bit on the time that it would take her to get there. From Navian she was heading north to Seyruun (which should take her three and a half weeks) and once she got there, she'd turn west. Buldein was really only a hop, skip and a jump from the white magic capital. If memory served, she could expect to be there in a month. However, she might be a little longer getting there if she torched a few bandit gangs. She cast her awareness on the forest behind her.

As if on cue, a group of seven scruffy looking characters stepped out of the woods, weapons drawn. It never failed to amaze her how bandits always seemed to stick to the same look. It was as if they'd all heard that to be a successful bandit, they needed eye patches and raggedy headbands. The one who looked like the leader (wearing both a headband and an eye patch) stepped up to her and growled, "Ok little girl, there's no one out here to help ya, so ya'd better hand over yer money or we'll skewer ya."

Amidst their confident chuckles, Lina stood up, dusting her pants off. "I don't know when I've been happier to hear such clichéd lines from scumbags!" Continuing despite their startled squawks of outrage she chortled, "Now hand over all your valuables and _I_ may let _you_ live!"

Standing above in a nearby tree was an extra witness to the fate of the dismayed bandits; amethyst eyes twinkled merrily, and their owner chuckled as the explosions began. "Back to your old tricks again, I see…" Then he vanished.

Author's note: Yes this is updated as well. I wanted to convey an idea of the somewhat dusty splendor of Buldein. So—I tarted it up a bit. What do you think?


	4. Enter The Chimera

Enter the Chimera

Anyone paying attention to the gossip in roadside taverns would know that Lina Inverse the Bandit Killer was on the move. People hunched low over mugs of ale and glanced furtively about as they spoke of the horrors the enemy of all who live was capable of. Only a perceptive and intelligent listener however, would know by the reports she was moving north to Seyruun.

Zelgadis was amused that once again, he seemed the only person present in the tavern that night that had it figured out. He thought it was quite obvious the path of destruction she was leaving pointed at Seyruun like an arrow. He shook out his map from the fold of his cloak, and consulted it. In fact, if he wanted to wait a week, she and Gourry would come blazing into town. It might be good to see them again--it had been a while. He turned his attention back to the fat, sniveling merchant one table over.

'It's said that she cleaned out the entire Demon's Claws bandit gang--down to the very last copper, and she didn't leave a single masonry stone unturned!"

His companions gaped and one nodded. "Yes, her greed is endless. She left that place as a heap of smoking rubble."

Zelgadis snorted. _Che__! Their lot has room to talk! Look at them in their expensive fur cloaks, and fine clothing--gold and jewels dripping from them--they look like the guys who invented greed!_

The man closest to Zel, whom he decided to dub Redbeard, spoke up. "The most incredible thing is that she's doing this all on her own." He took a pull of his ale, and continued. "Usually she has someone with her, but all the rumors say she travels alone this time."

This statement got Zel's full attention. "Excuse me, did you say she was alone? No tall swordsman at her side?"

The merchants turned to look at the shadowy figure seated behind them. They saw a very mysterious looking individual, still wearing his cloak. Oddly enough, they couldn't see the man's face, as his hood was up over his head, despite being indoors. He was seated with his back to the wall, with a large sword lying across the chair next to him.

Redbeard gave the shadowy stranger an appraising look, and being the smart fellow he was, decided politeness was in his best interest. "No my friend, she had no companion of that description at all."

As Zelgadis finished his tea, one of the men suspiciously asked, "You seem rather familiar with the Dragon Spooker."

Zelgadis stood up and tossed a few coppers on the table. He stepped out of the shadowed alcove and into the lamplight. The men at the next table were finally able to see whom they'd been talking to. There were times he enjoyed having such a monstrous form and this was one of them, though he'd never admit it. He saw the men take in his stone-like skin, with little pebbles dotting it. They saw the glittering hair like silver wire, which hid half his face. He knew they were wondering if he was human or monster. The light clamor of the tavern died away in a ripple effect as more patrons turned to see what their associates were looking at. Zel addressed Redbeard in the hushed murmurs left in its wake.

"Yes…" He dipped his head, allowing hair to conceal his pleased smile as he heard whispers of '…sorcerer-swordsman!' "She is a friend and occasional traveling companion."

As Zelgadis passed the merchants' tables he saw the fat sniveler clutch at his many jeweled medallions. Annoyance and anger sparked in him instantly. _He thinks I'll rob him now, simply because I admitted friendship with Lina… fine… I'll let them in on my other secret… heh heh heh_.

"I suppose I should stick around town, so we can catch up on things when she gets here."

With that said, he left the tavern, amidst calls of "Check, please!"


	5. Enter the Chimera Part Two

Enter The Chimera Part Two

One week later…

Lina trudged into town, wishing for nothing more than a meal and a hot bath. A room might be out of the question, because as small as this town was, the inn couldn't be very large. _As late as it is, the place might be filled to capacity too…_She mused as she glanced at the setting sun. _Ye Gods, they might not even have an inn… This town looks deserted!_ She pulled her map from her cloak. _It's not listed as a ghost town, and this is a recent map… Misinformation such as this must be the work of the local tourist board._

The map pointed out an inn near the town center, much to Lina's relief. By this time however, her suspicions had mounted. Outwardly, this place just appeared to be another sleepy little hamlet, but Lina could feel the eyes of the town on her. Lights in windows were quickly extinguished as she came into view. She uttered a long, drawn out sigh, and rested her gaze back on the road. Somehow… the townspeople had been made aware of her impending arrival.

At least the owner of the inn was made of sterner stuff than the townsfolk. The inn's vacancy sign was displayed next to the door, and the light streaming from the windows was warm and inviting. Lina didn't drop her guard though, even as she paid for two nights in advance.

As Lina turned from the visibly shaking innkeeper, he stammered, "M-m-miss…?"

"Yeah, Pops?"

'S-someone is waiting for you in the t-t-tavern."

"Someone? Waiting for me? Do tell." She grimaced and leaned heavily on the counter. _Here it comes… goodbye big meal, hot bath and soft bed…_

At her grimace, the stammer gained strength. "H-he says he's a f-f-f-fr-"

"A WHAT?!" She grated plaintively. Frustrated, she flipped a large gold coin at the man.

The innkeeper adroitly snatched the coin from the air. Suddenly loquacious, he stated, "He claims to be a friend of yours, and has been waiting for a week." He tapped the coin against rather rabbit-like front teeth and added, "He should be in the common room."

"Okay, thanks for the message, Pops!" _Heh__, show 'em gold and it works like a charm_.

Lina walked into the common room and observed that some things never change. The end of the world or the arrival of Lina Inverse didn't faze some; the drunks just kept on drinking. She quickly scanned the room. Ah! His back to the wall, facing the entrance--

"Zel! Nice to see you, old buddy!" Lina trilled as she quickly crossed the room and sat down.

"Yo, Lina." Zel sipped nonchalantly at his tea.

Glancing quickly around to check for eavesdroppers, Lina glared at Zel and hissed, "Thanks for posting the all points bulletin on my whereabouts, jackass! Whadidya do? Yell the news from the rooftops? Were you filling in as the new town crier?!" Having finished her tirade, Lina leaned back, arms crossed over her chest.

Cool, unaffected regard met dragon-eyed glare. "Hmmph," Zel sipped his tea. "Must be a case of 'good news travels fast' I suppose."

Lina looked as if she'd pounce across the table. "Not half as fast as that teacup's gonna travel up your--" Luckily for Zel's continued well-being, a pretty little waitress chose that moment to appear and take their order.

Successfully distracted from doing unmentionable things involving the Chimera and the teacup, Lina placed her order. "I'll have everything, from here to here," She skimmed her finger down the second page of the menu "in double portions. And how about three family-sized chicken dinners to top it off?"

The waitress feverishly scribbled the order down on her notepad, looking slightly dazed at the large amount of food these people were having. She raised wide eyes to look at the strange pair of people sitting before her. "I-is that--" (gulp) "everything?"

To the waitress's great shock and dismay, Lina turned to Zelgadis. "Are you getting anything, Zel?"

Suddenly conscious of the fact that the cute waitress was now looking at him, Zel mumbled, "I had something earlier, but I would like more tea…" He fumbled nervously with his cup, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

When the waitress had stumbled away in a daze over how one girl could eat so much, Lina grinned at Zelgadis. "Oh ho Zel, I see how it is now, so that's the _real_ reason you stuck around—you sly dog!"

He rubbed his face in an effort to hide the incriminating blush. Zel managed to stutter out "I-it's not like that at all--uh--say, where's Gourry? I thought he'd be with you."

She ought to have known Zelgadis would ask. She just hadn't had the time to think of a facile answer. The longer she waited, the worse Zel would think it was, so she'd better get on with it. "Erm… well, I had to leave him with Silphiel so I could go to Buldein." Lina cast her gaze down on the table. "You know how it is there… No idiot swordsmen allowed…"

"Ho, Buldein…" Zel noted Lina's discomfort, and decided not to press, for now. "What in the world do you want with that old wreck?"

Thankful for the change of subject, Lina excitedly started talking. "Well, its archives are always worth looking through, you know. I told Silphiel and Gourry that I might record my travels when I get there. I could catch up on the latest gossip…" She trailed off uncertainly, as her mind whispered,_ Forget about Gourry…_ She ducked her head and started examining her gloved fingers.

Zelgadis remained doubtful. "Hmm, is any of it worth the trip? It's quite a ways from here even still, and I've always been told it was a waste of time going there." Zel leaned back and blushed as the waitress arrived, smiling, with his tea refill. In an effort to distract Lina from his second blush in one evening, he continued, "I've never actually been there."

"How can you discount the place if you've never seen it yourself?" Lina quirked an eyebrow and grinned at him. "I'd have thought you always deem _any_ repository of ancient and not so ancient knowledge as worth the effort to see." She smirked at the evidence of her friend's growing interest. "Who told you it was a complete waste of time?" _Moreover, why did he listen? He's usually blind to everything when it comes to his cure._

"Well, back in the early days when I served Rezo, I overheard a conversation between him and Eris. They had been talking about researching defensive spells. She had asked him why he didn't try going to Buldein, and he had gotten angry. He'd said something about Buldein being a dried up old husk, with nothing new for him." Zel sipped his tea. "Any other references I heard him make about Buldein were in the same vein."

"So. He always made sure to disparage the place while in your hearing?" Lina grinned at the dawning annoyance on Zelgadis's face. "If it were me, that would have made me want to go there even more." His hopeful look warned her. _Well, I don't want his hopes dashed if he finds nothing though. He's had to deal with so much disappointment._ "I'm not saying there might be anything there Zel, but don't you think in all the time Rezo had, he'd have done a great deal of research there? There may even be people who remember the Red Priest's stay, and some who might even remember what he was studying."

Zelgadis grimaced, trying to quell his emotions, which were currently trying to rage out of hand. He felt stupid to have missed something like that. Lina was right; Buldein should have been the first place he looked. However—"Lina, Rezo lived a long time. It's likely no one's alive to remember his visit."

"Maybe. But then why make it sound like the last place you'd want to go? I admit, it _is_ really run down, but I'd have to say it's still the best place for research."

At last, Lina's food finally arrived. Zelgadis watched Lina greet her food like a long lost friend, stars dancing in her eyes. Once the entire meal was placed before her, she quit talking and fell to with such savagery that Zelgadis felt sorry for the other people in the room. Unlike him, they'd never quite witnessed anything so ferocious in their lives. Beckoning the horrified waitress over to refill his tea, he was amused to see her edge around Lina, as if she might be snatched up and devoured as well.

Halfway through the meal, Lina addressed Zel around a mouthful of roasted chicken. "Ahhh! I haven't had a decent sized meal like this in a while!" She swallowed noisily and swigged some ale to wash it down. "Do you know that I was only able to get half my order in the last tavern I ate in? And to top it off, they had to shut down the kitchen early because what little I got was the last of their food!"

Zelgadis shrugged. _I hope she didn't starve out the entire village._ Sipping his fresh cup, Zelgadis mulled over what they'd talked about. He was still annoyed with himself. Granted, he hadn't given Buldein the least thought in years. There was the possibility Lina was exaggerating its importance to get him to come with her, but he couldn't see any real advantage that would give her. Once he got there and saw that it really was a big wreck like Rezo had always said, Lina would certainly realize he'd be distinctly upset with her. _Lina's not the type to be devious like that anyway,_ he decided. _If she simply wanted my company on the trip, she'd come out and say it. _This is only assuming what Rezo said was intended only for Zelgadis. He could've badmouthed the place to Dilgear or anyone for that matter and Zelgadis would be none the wiser. _It's really no use wondering whether Buldein will be of any use to me until I go there and find out._

Seeing Lina was finishing the last chicken dinner, he spoke up. "If you don't mind Lina, I'd like to come along and have a look at Buldein as well."

"Hey no problem Zel!" Lina swigged the rest of her mug of ale. "Glad to have you along, since the only conversations I've been getting on the road are the usual tired old lines from bandit gangs!"

"I can imagine." He replied wryly.


	6. When You're Strange

When You're Strange…

Xelloss walked down the echoing main passage to his Master's hall, where she generally received him for official summons. He was puzzled at his recent assignment, although it proved to be of some small amusement. His Master had bid him watch over Lina Inverse again. Repeat assignments were often unsatisfying, in his mind; there was the intimation that he hadn't done it right the first time. Besides, Lina certainly didn't seem to _need_ his ward-ship, as her recent bandit torching activities suggested. He paused to study a tapestry depicting a lone dragon being torn at by wolves; its wings were shredded, pain etched deeply on its face as it bellowed up at the sky. This particular tapestry was especially dear to him since it had been commissioned to commemorate his victory near the end of the war, over a thousand years ago. He always liked to study it; the memories of the destruction and death he'd caused at his master's bidding always infused him with pride.

The assignment at hand was something else entirely. There was no huge power struggle involved, no dramatic gestures, just one lone sorceress. Granted, her pure, raw power and devil may care attitude often made him wonder if she wouldn't make a wonderful minion—despite whatever she may once have said to the contrary. He certainly hadn't thought much of it at the time. What with all that, add the fact she knew him for what he was--and yet still accepted his company at times, was certainly an interesting change from the human norm. _Certainly I don't mind following Lina for the free meals she's always so kind to provide,_ he mused as he gazed up, eyes following the tapestry's swirling colors of blood almost lazily. _Although it's true she provides them for me unwittingly._ His eyes slid down to study a wolf. _I do wonder however if she isn't as unwitting perhaps?_ There had been times in the past when she alone seemed unsurprised by his sudden appearances. It didn't happen all the time, just enough to wonder about it. He'd sometimes wondered if he hadn't been losing his touch. _Now that's all I need; some sort of Mazoku mid-life crisis._ He grimaced and turned away from the tapestry.

As he walked through the iron-bound doors to the audience hall, his Master greeted him warmly. "Why Xelloss, how kind of you to answer my summons so promptly," Xelas Metallium purred. Despite what seemed like a warm welcome, Xelloss knew he'd be a fool to believe it. She was reminding him he'd kept her waiting a bit. Saying she didn't like that much would be an understatement. Xelas lounged on her favorite divan, long legs crossed at the knee and idly swirling a glass of brandy in one hand and holding a cigarette daintily in the other.

Xelloss bowed low before her. "It is always an honor and a pleasure to serve my lord," he swept his cape behind him with a minor flourish and bowed lower. "I apologize if I kept you waiting… I confess to an abiding interest in the lovely tapestry in the hall."

The Greater Beast leaned forward, her tawny eyes sparkling with humor, and was there also a little bit of bloodlust? Xelloss waited stoically for whatever might come; be it a mauling or a pat on the head. "If you love it so, minion of mine, then you may let it grace your chambers instead of my hall."

"You are too good to me, Master!" He smiled up at her ingenuously; inwardly relieved he didn't pique her anger.

"It is nothing—I have a whim to redecorate." She leaned back once more on her divan, flicked an ash on the floor before him. "Well, now the pleasantries are aside, I feel I should address something which has been troubling me."

Now a look of consternation was warranted, and it settled over Xelloss's features like a shroud. "That being, my lord?"

"I have felt the question in your heart regarding my orders, and was hoping you'd explain your doubts to me."

"Why Master, I simply wondered _why_ I was following Lina, as her savagery against bandits has increased now, without the swordsman's presence." He shrugged and smiled brightly. "I simply thought she seems able to take care of herself."

"That is as it appears on the surface. I think she is more vulnerable, and her actions prove it." Xelas drained her brandy and waved the empty goblet at Xelloss.

"Ah… I see, my lord." Xelloss took the goblet from her and walked to the cart a few feet away. "She believes a show of violent strength will protect her as well as would a comrade watching her back." He turned, smiling. "More brandy, my Lord Xelas?"

Xelas eyed her General-Priest as he waggled the goblet at her. He is awfully quick on the uptake for a minion—not like those idiots, Raltarc or Rashat… Or any of the others, for that manner. She felt a strange upwelling of pride in her… cub? No casual observer would guess this silly little man was anything other than what he seemed. She had created him of her own power, to be perfect. Naturally, such a powerful and cagey minion could prove to be a danger, to his creator, but Xelloss would never… _Oops, he's beginning to look a little nervous…_ No need for that, certainly. "No, I think not. Alcoholic overindulgence makes me hungry, you know that Xelloss. And I did have a few drinks whilst waiting for you my darling." Again, her smile was predatory, and her retainer did look nervous as he placed the goblet on the cart, but he recovered admirably.

Xelloss smacked a fist into his palm in sudden remembrance. "That reminds me! I restocked the prey on the island for you, Master!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! I found a small herd of your favorite antelope; also I snuck off with a few rather brutish humans and one beastman after Lina's last bandit raid! I thought if they were resourceful enough to survive Lina's attack, then surely they might provide you some small entertainment, Master."

"That was lovely of you Xelloss," Xelas rose up from her blood red divan and approached the cart. "I think I will have more brandy after all." As she poured herself a drink, she glanced at Xelloss. "Now, I hope I have satisfied your curiosity, and thereby put my own mind at ease." She took up her goblet and drank. "You are to proceed as before; keep an eye on her, see what she's up to. Step in only if she gets in over her head—she will, you know, she seems to have a talent for it. Above all, try not to be obvious about it. A good guardian is one that remains hidden. Also, when the opportunity presents itself—report back to me. Let's just say… I feel there is a need to stay on the good side of our honored Golden Lord by protecting what is hers." She watched his eyes widen at the thought of that notion.

As he backed to the door, Xelloss flashed a grin laced with mischief. "As you command, Lord Beast Master. Besides, you ask me to use the same tactic I adore—be deceptively innocuous, and strike hard when I have to." He hefted his staff and winked at her, adding "In other words, walk softly and carry a big stick!"

Xelloss's eyes were open, so he saw the goblet come flying at him along with his Master's growled command.

"OUT! THOU INSOLENT PUP!"

Not needing to be asked twice, Xelloss had already disappeared, leaving the goblet to smash harmlessly on the door beyond. His faint laughter echoed from elsewhere.

Amusement warred with annoyance over Xelas's features as she surveyed the mess. She gave up and chuckled. Now she knew Xelloss was truly gone, she could display amusement at his antics. She rolled her eyes in mock disgust. _He's been reading my tomes on parallel worlds again._


	7. Hard Drinking And Economics 101

Author's notes: Hello and welcome to the new and improved chapter 7! I've added a bit of Xelloss in. He's been woefully absent from the rest of the story til now. I wanted to flesh out my tavern owner too, and now I have a bit. I thought adding a little conversation between the two would add some irony. The people of Lina's world are so distrustful of her, but are always willing to trust an anonymous traveling priest.

Hard Drinking and Economy 101

The proprietor of The Thirsty Baron (subsidiary of The Snoring Baron Inn) was surprised to see the townsfolk of Strylle were a bit braver than most. They'd hidden for approximately an hour. Upon noting the inn Lina Inverse had entered was still standing, some adventurous types decided it was time for a drink at the pub. He, Rollen Nomas, was going to make the most of this, possible danger be damned. Lina Inverse was terrifying enough, but she was also a celebrity. A visiting celebrity meant more business. He glanced into his rapidly filling tavern and frowned; Lina and her odd companion weren't seated at his most highly visible table. They sat back in a corner, almost out of view of the door. That didn't seem to bother the other customers, he was glad to note, as they kept coming in for a peek at them. With an obsequious smile, he nodded and took a pair of cloaks from two new customers. "Nice night for dinner and drinks folks, come right in," he waved them towards his tavern in the next room. "There's still plenty of seating." He looked behind him; Ah, another person just in! A stranger too--small as this town was, he knew everyone in it. _Surely he's a traveling priest, by the look of his clothes and curious staff_. Rollen smiled up at the man as he approached. "Good evening, Sir! May I take your cloak?" The man looked amused but nodded 'no'. Nonplussed, Rollen continued his spiel. "If you'd like, a room can be waiting for you once you've finished dinner."

"Thank you, but no," again the smiling priest demurred politely. "I am merely here for some small refreshment and a little gossip before I continue on."

Rollen couldn't resist a good opening, and he took it eagerly. "If it's gossip you want sir, we just happen to have a very notorious traveler staying at our inn tonight." The stranger's quizzical look emboldened him to further add, "The terrifying enemy of all who live—Lina Inverse!"

The priest's eyebrows rose, almost disappearing under his violet bangs. "Really," he breathed, but his solemnity changed in a snap. "My goodness, I've heard she's just _awful_," he cheerfully added, and then patted the door sill. "I see your establishment is still intact, though." His smile got even wider. He giggled and added, "Thank you for your warning, kind sir."

Rollen watched the mysterious priest as he ducked into the tavern, and was quickly and seated in a dark, quiet corner, near the kitchen. _Nice, polite man, I suppose. Well, back to business_. He headed off to oversee the kitchen staff for a bit, and as he passed, the stranger smiled and nodded at him. _Odd one though, never stops smirking, not even when I mentioned the Dragon Spooker_. He shrugged and shook off the niggling notion the man had been amused with him, and got back to work.

Lina glanced back at the room, noticing finally how crowded it had gotten. No one seemed to be interested in her conversation with Zel, thankfully. She did observe people furtively rubbernecking at them as they drank. She assumed some had gotten quite a show, too, since people had started filtering in near the end of her meal. Lina and Zelgadis were used to it though. As long as no one felt the need to listen in, they didn't mind at all.

When the meal was done and the last plate taken away, Zel mentioned why he let the news about her arrival into town slip to the general public.

Feeling magnanimous after the two pitchers of ale she'd had with dinner, she said, "It's Ok Zel, when you put it like that I can see where you're coming from." She'd slugged back the rest of her mug and added, "Those damned merchants don't even realize what a service I'm doing for them! I'm clearing the roads for their safe travel--free of charge too, damn it!" She slammed her mug onto the table--just the thought of that last item had her grinding her teeth.

Zelgadis snorted and took a drink from his mug. "I hardly think you do it for free—there is loot in the bandits' camps—which you do relieve them of." He looked down into his empty mug and frowned. "Tell me _why_ it is I'm drinking this instead of tea? I never drink ale, Lina."

Lina poured them another round from the now emptied pitcher, then stood and turned to better get the waitress's attention. "Oy, waitress, another pitcher, please!" She turned back to face him with her hands planted on her hips and regarded him intently. "You're drinking because we're celebrating being back on the road together! And Zel, I can't believe I'm hearing this from you—you know me! That money is taken to cover my travel expenses!" She sat back down and added, "It certainly isn't to pay for my mansion in the Zephilian mountains."

"You're trying to tell me it's out of the kindness of your heart, and not because you enjoy brutalizing bandits—uh-uh Lina, I've seen you having fun doing it."

He tried to imitate the carefree way Lina had emptied her mug earlier and ended up sputtering. The next table over, two drunks saw Zelgadis's plight; after a short discussion one leaned over to help by pounding on his back. After three thumps Zel was better, but the man leaned back shaking his hand and wincing painfully. Zel waited for the man to ask what kind of freak he was; he'd heard it all. The man grinned at Zel and said, "Wow buddy, you sure are tense… Have another ale!"

Lina wanted to laugh, but she held back, knowing the man had unwittingly touched on a sore subject with Zel. Amazingly, she saw him turn back to her with an odd smirk. Zel's face spasmed into an unaccustomed grin as he said in a light tone, "I'm tense. That's one I haven't heard." He sounded a little flabbergasted with such a simple notion and they both lost it. Their whoops of laughter swirled away into the general din of the tavern. Lina was so happy Zelgadis was having a good time she ordered another pitcher for the other table as well. This earned appreciative slurring praise which further raised Lina and Zel's spirits.

The night and the debate about Lina's role in the national economy went on for four more pitchers. Finally Lina mentioned to Zelgadis he should stop drinking since he was looking a little fuzzy. Rather than point out the obvious hole in her logic, Zelgadis suggested they both call it a night. As they got up Zel caught a glimpse of a familiar amused smile and a flash of violet eyes at the tavern door. _Xelloss?!_ Just as he was about to act, Lina lurched into him, almost knocking him off balance. When he looked again, none of the group of exiting tavern patrons resembled the mazoku priest at all. He knew better than to mention it to Lina, as he knew the drunk and staggering sorceress might… react badly. Just the thought of the possible damage she might inflict gave him a cold sweat. _Better to sleep on it,_ he mused, _the ale might be getting to me_--_after all, I am_ tense.

The first thing Lina heard were songbirds twittering in the morning. She yawned and stretched, then opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed through her window, and that meant a good day for traveling. She was already beginning to like Strylle a lot more than she had when she'd trudged in the night before. Not enough to stay another day, though—she felt more refreshed after one night in a comfortable bed than she'd thought she would be.

She stretched again, just to make sure the ale hadn't caused any aches and pains. She'd drank enough of it, but it was worth it. _I can probably count the number of times I've seen Zel laugh on one hand_ she mused as she got out of bed. She swayed a bit as she stood, but other than that, things were fine. Grabbing a robe and towel, she headed down to the women's bath.

Zel was already up and drinking tea when she entered the common room. The waitress from last night was talking to him as she wiped off nearby tables. Lina had a feeling this was a morning ritual for them while Zel had stayed here, judging how easy their manner was towards each other. She almost felt she was interrupting when Zel saw her and straightened up in his chair, blushing. This caused the waitress to turn around and blush as well, as she saw Lina walking towards them.

So it went during breakfast: Lina teased Zel about his new 'girlfriend' and he drank tea and tried to downplay the entire thing. Finally Lina figured Zel had had enough teasing and it was time to get down to business. She leaned back in her chair as stacks of dishes were removed from their table. As soon as Glory--found out after more teasing than her chimera friend could take--had walked away, Lina leaned in and said, "You know Zel, we could get started today, instead of tomorrow. I know I've paid up til then, but I'm sure you're ready to go after waiting a week."

"No, I don't mind, besides, you may have paid for two days' _stay_, but you've definitely eaten two days' worth of _food_…" Zel ignored Lina's irritable glare, "but if you're ready to go, you're right, I am."

"Ok. Meet you back down here when we're ready! Just you wait Zel, this'll be fun!" Lina said as they got up to retrieve their belongings.

Zel sighed as he followed her upstairs._ At the very least, the trip won't be dull._

Author's notes Part Two: Er, I do realize they're having a very lucid sounding conversation while drinking. But if I can do the same and speak perfectly well and still be drunk, so can they. Plus, it's a pain in the ass to write (and read fer crissakes!!!) slurry, drunken dialogue—so I won't.

Next Chapter coming soon—and let's hear some reviews—I can't work in a vacuum you know….


	8. Zelgadis The Geezer! Let’s Take Our Show...

Zelgadis The Geezer?! Let's Take Our Show On The Road!

Four days' northwest of Strylle, and Zelgadis's misgivings were really bothering him. His gaze darted around, inspecting his surroundings again. Nothing but a lonely road, empty of travelers but for them. Rolling hills and meadows stretched away for miles. Perfect late spring weather encouraged them to take it easy and enjoy the walk. There was just something wrong with this entire scenario, though. He watched Lina as she strode along just ahead of him. For the past few days, she had sometimes seemed melancholy, which was odd for her. She wasn't overt about it, but she couldn't hide her moods from him after all these years. He looked at his red-haired friend's back again, deciding he had to know. "You know Lina, I still don't understand why you left Gourry all the way back in Navian. Why couldn't you leave him in Seyruun or something, which is so much closer?" He saw her stiffen slightly, and her stride faltered for a second. He caught up to her, and caught her glance and held it. "No excuses, Lina. We've got days of travel ahead of us, so even if it's a long story, I want the truth."

She looked at him solemnly. "You'll think I'm even more selfish than you already do, Zel."

His first reaction was to ask her if she could possibly be even more selfish, but he withheld it. "Try me."

"I've been thinking a lot about what Shabranigdo said when we defeated him—the part about me living several hundred years." Lina looked troubled as she fixed her eyes on the dirt road as they walked. "I guess in all this time I never really thought about it, until lately." Zelgadis frowned, and waited for her to continue.

"I've been thinking about how I'll age, and it seems that I haven't changed in all these years. I'm twenty and I still look like I'm thirteen."

"I guess I'd never noticed," Zelgadis said quietly. "But how does that relate to leaving Gourry all the way back there?"

Ruby eyes flicked back to him for a second, and just before she fixed her gaze onto the road again, pain flickered there. "Gourry and I have been traveling together for a long time now. In the last couple of years though, he'd started dragging behind. You know, we'd hit a town and he'd want to put his feet up and stay, and I'd sometimes have to drag him out of town by his hair. At first it didn't occur to me why he was acting so weird. I wanted to knock the crap out of him, because it was driving me crazy." She sighed and shrugged helplessly. "It took the dumbest little thing to clue me in."

"What was it?" He was still fairly mystified although there was a slight suspicion nagging him.

She grinned at him in a rather morose fashion. "His beard finally came in and he started shaving every day."

Now Zelgadis really was lost. "What does that have to do with anything, Lina?"

"My rate of aging is magically slowed through my sorcery, Zel." Lina explained slowly. "Gourry on the other hand, is moving along at the normal clip for the average human. He doesn't mean to, but he's leaving me behind."

"Huh, I never would have thought of it like that."

They walked along in silence for a while as Zelgadis considered the subject. He himself hadn't changed much from what he knew either, but he'd just chalked it up to his curse. He never thought about it much either, but then, he didn't have a constant companion to judge against like Lina did. Or had, anyway, now that Gourry was in Navian.

This time, Lina spoke further, without his prompting. "This way, if he wants to, Gourry can get married and have a normal life."

He stopped dead in his tracks and snapped his jaw shut again with an audible click. "What?" Lina had kept walking, leaving him behind, so he trotted up alongside her. "I'm surprised, I admit, but I never saw either of you guys as the type to settle down."

"Well, that's what I'm getting to—I'm _not_ the type to settle down yet. I don't know _when_ I'll be ready to do that. It seems like I blinked, and somehow Gourry became someone who wanted a family." She sniffled and wiped her nose and face with a corner of her cloak. Her pace picked up, as if she were trying to leave her discomfort behind her.

Zelgadis was still reeling from Lina's apparent lack of concern over Gourry's future. He supposed he always thought they'd get married to each other some day; however that day always seemed to be so far away he'd never taken it too seriously. But to think that she would leave Gourry behind, of all people… and then not worry if it meant he might spend the rest of his life with someone else? He hurried after her, knowing there was more she needed to tell him.

"I left him because I don't want to slow down. There's so much more about everything I wanna see! Ok, if we'd gotten married we might not have settled down immediately, we could've stayed on the road. But I know Gourry's tired of traveling constantly. Every damned town we'd visit became somewhere Gourry wanted to stay. I was starting to feel a little trapped." Zel wasn't too surprised to see a tear spill down her cheek. She wiped her face angrily and continued, "I knew that even though I didn't want to settle down, he'd still follow me wherever I went. I know it would eventually kill him, and he'd never get his home and family he was dreaming of."

"I think you're going too far, Lina. Gourry is the best swordsman in the known world—you're selling him short when you say that."

"You never saw the last few times we battled bandits damn it, or you wouldn't say that," she growled. "He was so reluctant to draw on them. He was sick of the fighting. I shudder to think about him going up against a Mazoku. They won't wait til you're good and ready to battle. Besides, his new sword is great, but it doesn't match the Sword of Light. Traveling with me, he's bound to come up against another Mazoku eventually."

"I took us to visit Silphiel in Navian, and I don't regret leaving him with her." Lina's eyes looked at him pleadingly. "You know she's always wanted to do nothing but take care of him."

"Not only take care of him, but marry him, Lina," Zelgadis studied her closely for any signs of jealousy, and was surprised to see far less of a reaction than he was expecting.

"I know what you're asking—am I really prepared to let him go." Her eyes brimmed over again, and she stopped to wipe her eyes. "I'm not, really. I love him too much to make him wait for me! He's been my best friend for years and I'm not about to let him suffer on my account!" She finished the last, looking fiercely determined.

Zel looked down at his friend. Lina stood before him with a defiant look on her face. That was just to cover her pain of leaving Gourry behind, though, he knew. He'd never really expected she'd spill her heart like she had, but it must've been eating at her since she'd walked out of Navian. This had him seeing her in a new light. She wasn't the same Lina he'd always known, or maybe he'd never really known her as well as he'd thought.

"Lina… That doesn't sound like the act of a selfish person to me at all." Her defiance ebbed away and she stared at him questioningly. He blushed as he continued. "Maybe your body's not maturing so quickly… but your heart seems just fine." He was embarrassed about this mushy stuff, but she needed to hear it, rather than beat herself up.

Lina was surprised to hear his kind words, however, she recovered quickly. She winked and grinned up at him, saying, "Thanks Zel, but you realize you're going to damage your heartless sorcerer-swordsman image by saying that kind of stuff."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't I know it," he growled. "Just make sure I don't say it often."

Lina had been embarrassed to admit her feelings to Zelgadis, but it had been good to get it off her back. The journey had been fairly boring, and there had been nothing to distract her. There had been an almost disturbing lack of bandits since just before she'd gotten to the town of Strylle. No bandits also meant no treasure though. She jingled her coin purse and sighed. _Bad things only happen in threes it's said. Embarrassed, bored, and almost broke. Guess they're right_.

The sight of a forest looming miles ahead of them raised her spirits a bit. Maybe they'd run into a decent sized gang in there? _There'd better be a lot of bandits in there too,_ she mused. _I almost have to make up in past boredom for the last few days!_

Before she could start mentally counting the gold however, Zelgadis interrupted her thoughts. "Lina, there's something else that's been bothering me."

"Huh?" Lina started a bit, so engrossed was she with her thoughts of treasure and violence. "What's on your mind, old buddy?"

Zel quirked his eyebrow at the 'old buddy' part, but continued, "Have you gotten the feeling you're being watched or followed?"

Lina's eyebrows drew together a bit as she frowned at him. "I don't think so…why do you ask?"

"…The night we were drinking… I'd swear for a moment I caught sight of Xelloss. At the time I thought it was that I'd had too much ale, but now I don't know."

"Xelloss!?" Lina appeared shocked. "I haven't seen him since we beat Darkstar." Thoughtfulness turned to anger in a second's time. "Wait a minute! I STILL haven't gotten him back for knocking me out that time! If we see him, he's in deep trouble! I'm gonna pay him back with two years' worth of interest!" She growled and shook her fist, apparently not seeming to care that Xelloss was a very powerful Mazoku and could probably toast them without breaking a sweat. _Still, that's typical Lina for you_…

"You know, making him pay you back would be the least of our worries if I was right about seeing him back there." _Whenever he shows up, it always means trouble for us,_ he silently concluded. _Unless there's something more than just going to Buldein that she's after…!_ Zelgadis smiled humorlessly at his seething friend. Interrupting her in Dragon Spooker mode wasn't always the smartest thing to do, but they needed to rationally talk about this development. He turned to Lina again, "There's not something more you're not telling me is there, Lina? Maybe some new course of action I don't know about that could attract the attention of the Mazoku?"

"Oh, come on Zel!" Lina eyed him, looking amused. "How often do I have anything more than my next meal as my objective? You're so damned suspicious… You should know to trust me more than that." She smacked his shoulder, glaring at him. "Besides, we'll be in that forest in no time, and I'll be shocked if there's not a single bandit in it."

Zelgadis looked at the forest appraisingly. "It has been an awfully quiet few days. I'm almost on edge because of it. I guess it made me suspicious of you, Lina. Sorry."

"Hey, no hard feelings… Maybe if you're really sorry though, you could do me a favor, Zel." She smiled up at him in a speculative manner that made him nervous.

"Uh… what favor?" He had just apologized once for being suspicious of her, but he'd have to be stupid to automatically agree to a favor for her. Deep down, he still couldn't forget being used as an anchor, all so she could have a rare dish.

"Well, maybe if you grab your back and look like you're a tired old guy, it would help a lot. You've already got your hood up and it wouldn't be hard for someone to mistake us for an old man and a young girl. It would help us to look like targets so I can be sure to attract and then toast as many bandits as possible."

Lina beamed at him and he sighed inwardly… Zelgadis hunched over and grabbed his back all of a sudden. "Like this?" He looked at her to see what she thought. "I'm not that good of an actor, Lina."

"Hey, that's perfect Zelgadis!" They continued to walk (or in Zelgadis's case, hobble.) towards the forest. "I'm kind of curious though, why didn't you argue with me about this? You never give in without a fight."

"I decided to go along with your plan, after careful calculations. I knew if I didn't just play along, I might actually end up walking like that anyway."

"Yeah, I suppose you've got a point there," Lina laughed gaily. "Oh, and we gotta be loud, too. People's voices get louder when they're scared… so refer to me as your daughter, Ok?"

Zelgadis sighed again and rolled his eyes. "Che… who says I'm not scared…Daughter?"

Zelgadis hobbled into the forest after Lina.

Author's Notes: Holy cow that chapter was a long time coming! My muse-chan is on vacation folks, what can I say? There should be more soon… Sorry!


	9. Along Came a Spider

Along Came A Spider…

Xelloss phased in to the physical plane, landing on a tree branch high above the forest floor. Every few days he'd been popping in for a quick check on their progress. _Simply watching them travel without being able to harass them is no fun at all,_ Xelloss mused as he watched the respective auras of the Chimera and Lina, as they wended their way through the forest. Nothing had happened for days on end, however, making this part of his work very tedious. He had decided to do some scouting further ahead in an effort to quell his growing sense of ennui. Too much peace and quiet was just no good for his constitution. Thankfully however, they would be getting out of this uninhabited backwater in southern Seyruun soon enough, where the path intersected a major trade route. He was certain then that the entertainment factor of his job would quickly rise. He looked down to see what Lina was doing. He couldn't imagine how she could handle this mind-numbing monotony. Yes, she was bored; he could feel the sullen lump of it, dragging her down, making her… Skip? _Eh?_ Lina's aura was definitely bouncing down the path. He had to get a little closer than this. He phased out, disappearing only to reappear about twenty feet above their heads. _This is a new development at least…_ Curiously, he then peered a little more closely at Zelgadis. _He seems to be… Limping? Hmmm._ Yes, he certainly was. Xelloss drifted a little closer so he could hear their conversation. _Or rather, their argument,_ he smirked to no one in particular as the breeze brought him snatches of words spoken angrily.

"Well, Zelgadis, whether you saw him or not doesn't matter right now, since he hasn't shown up to bother us. What we need to concentrate on right now is your form!" She had stopped skipping and was standing in front of Zelgadis, blocking his way. "You're too sprightly for anyone to take you for an old man! I've been busting my ass, skipping, picking flowers and acting as much the innocent girl—not that I'm not—that I can and you're not doing your share! We've been in this damned forest for an entire day and night, and we haven't been attacked yet!" Xelloss's right eyebrow quirked in amusement as comprehension dawned on him. "You aren't pathetic enough!" Lina thumped Zelgadis's shoulder peevishly. "Hey! Are you listening to me? You need to walk a little slower, and hunch over more!"

Zelgadis straightened up and turned to face her. "If I did see Xelloss, we do need to worry about him. Mazoku are trouble we don't need," he finished angrily. "Besides, I really don't think there are any bandits in these woods. Look, my back is getting sore from all this hunching over! If you want us to be some target to draw more bandits in for an attack, then think up something new, because I've had enough of this ridiculous charade." He brushed past the seething sorceress, obviously feeling the conversation finished.

_Definitely my cue,_ Xelloss thought as he phased in behind Lina, laughing all the while over their idiotic ploy. "Oh! So that's what you two were up to!" Both of them turned in shock to see—

"Xelloss!" Zelgadis smiled at him dangerously. "Speak of the Devil, and he really does appear…"

Xelloss smiled sunnily at the Chimera and raised his hands as a placating gesture. "Really, Grandpa Zelgadis! I'm not that bad, am I? I loved your performance, by the way." His voice dripped with sincerity.

The Chimera clenched a fist and pointed a shaking finger accusingly at him. "You can't be asking me that seriously, can you?! Yes, you—as a Mazoku--_are_ that_ bad_!" Zelgadis managed to choke out. Xelloss observed that Zelgadis looked like he might explode. _Hmm! I think the drunk in the tavern was right—Chimera or no,_ he is _tense!_

He smirked at Zelgadis before replying, "Thank you! Actually, I was working in this area and I felt my ears burning--so to speak--because someone was bad-mouthing me! When I checked to see who it was, imagine my surprise and hurt when I saw it was my old comrade, Zelgadis!" _Once again, not _entirely_ a lie!_ He proceeded to pretend looking hurt. Neither human looked like they were in the mood to play his games though.

Lina had been quiet while he was busy Chimera-baiting, but now she spoke up. "Xelloss, I don't think I care _what_ you were doing here, but right now you're interrupting an actor's meeting we're having." She raised her hand to her forehead, as this entire situation was giving her a headache. "We have to figure out what to do now, if Zelgadis wants to throw a fit rather than follow my brilliant plan."

Zelgadis rounded on Lina now, really ticked off now that Xelloss had him going. "Well, if you want to follow your 'brilliant' plan, why don't you try hunching over for a day or two—and we can be a young man and his old _mother_!"

"Denied! Absolutely and unequivocally!" Lina crossed her arms and huffed as she turned her head away from him.

"Denied? Why? Are you admitting you couldn't keep up the act as long as I did?"

Much like at a brass rackets match, Xelloss's attention had been going from one human to the other as they faced off. Naturally, this silly argument had him feeling put out a bit that they could forget him so easily. "Uh, guys…" _Situations always get so out of hand when Lina's around. I'm the Mazoku here—attention should remain on_ me

"Of course I could keep it up! I'm just saying a cute, petite little body like mine could _never_ look decrepit like that!" Lina tossed her hair back and grinned airily at Zelgadis. _That cuts it, if two humans can turn their backs on a Mazoku to argue over something so silly, it's either time to retire or it's time for drastic measures! I may get pounded to a _pulp_, but that's fun, too._

Before Zelgadis could make any sort of reply, Xelloss leaned in close to Lina from behind and murmured into her ear, "You're right about that, dearest Lina!" His breath on her ear caused her to gasp slightly, gooseflesh popping up on her neck and arms. "…There would be no need for subterfuge if you knew the secret _I_ know," his lips brushed lightly over her ear, and he smiled darkly, raising his eyes just in time to see the Chimera's slight shudder of revulsion. He looked torn between turning away in disgust or; actually _interfering_ with Xelloss's entertainment.

Too late he realized, as he suddenly found himself in a chokehold, that his attention had wandered too far from Lina. As she growled and grated out his name, he made the obligatory gagging noises they expected. _I can't imagine she could actually fool herself into believing this hurts me in _any _way_…he pondered. He glanced at Zelgadis; _although it looks like the Chimera could,_ noting the faintly gloating expression on the other's face. Lina's forearm dug a little deeper into his windpipe, and Zelgadis actually cracked a smile. Xelloss opened his eyes, looked at the Chimera and grinned back. Maybe from Lina's point of view Xelloss was still struggling; Zelgadis was horrified to find out otherwise as he saw the Mazoku rubbing his cheek into the side of the unsuspecting sorceress's small breast and gloating at him. _In the interests of wiping the smile off Zelgadis's face and putting one on my own, this works well enough. Heh heh. Didn't realize stone could turn _that_ pale._ His smile widened.

Zelgadis choked a bit and collected himself. "L-Lina." He looked very uncomfortable but tried again in starts and stumbles. "Ahem. Uh, Lina? I don't think… Uh, Lina, you're actually …_not_ hurting him. "The statement trailed off in a mumble as Zel blushed, saying, "Just… just _drop_ him, alright?"

Lina dropped her smirking mazoku 'victim' to the ground. "Huh? Oh, sure." She looked down at him as he got back up. "Strangling you isn't getting us anywhere, Xelloss. Do you have something to tell us or not?" She put one hand on her hip and gestured at the forest in general. "We have places to go. Bandits to torch, loot to steal—you know, that sort of thing. I feel the need to blow off some steam." She pinned him with a look and with exasperation added, "Spill it, or I'm gone."

"Such impatience," he sighed as he straightened up and dusted off his cloak, feigning his own exasperation in return. "Well, since you humans are so relatively short-lived, it's no wonder you're in such a hurry." Lina quirked her eyebrow at him and turned away, headed down the path.

"Nice way you've got with words, mazoku." Zelgadis spat at him as he turned to follow Lina.

Xelloss stood on the path and watched them go deeper into the forest. To their retreating backs he called, "Was it something I said?" The smile faded after he heard no reply. Lina usually was willing to give him more leeway than that. Something he'd said, hmm? The odd quirk of her eyebrow she'd given him suggested he'd unthinkingly hit on something. Save that questioning for later, though. Of course, he was quite sure the Chimera wasn't helping matters by getting her all riled up. _Not to mention his attitude towards myself dearly deserves a very bloody readjustment_. Lina would probably be much more willing to play his games if she were all alone… Surely a chance for a divisive wedge would present itself sooner or later; he would be sure to take it, although he wished the more direct route were possible.

As amusing as her friends sometimes were, it was a shame he couldn't just kill them and be done with it. Unfortunately, there was a game _he_ had to play as well, and for now… As much as he didn't like it that was against the rules.

Author's notes: Yahoo! Chapter nine! All good things come in their own time my dears and now here we are! Anonymous posters, remember when reviewing; please be kind enough to add your email address if you are posting. I enjoy reading your reviews, however, if I need to ask for clarification on some point you didn't like—I won't be able to if there is no email. Thanks!


	10. Who Sat Down Beside Her And offered her ...

…Who Sat Down Beside Her

(And offered her a really sweet deal!)

Hours later, Xelloss found himself watching Lina again from high above in the trees. She and Zelgadis had found a spot to camp for the night and Zelgadis had immediately left to hunt for dinner. He gazed down at their camp again. She had been pacing back and forth across the clearing restlessly, looking for something to do. Now she sat down next to a pile of pebbles and started flicking them across a circle she had drawn in the dirt. He shook his head in mock pity at Lina's odd little diversion.

click A pebble skittered across a crudely drawn circle in the dirt, bouncing past a rock in the middle.

"Damn." Lina carefully aimed again, and launched her next salvo.

click: "twelve points…"

click: "thirteen points…"

click: "Damn."

He glanced at the 'peace offering' he was holding. Surely Lina would appreciate that he'd actually gone out of his way to do something nice for her. Besides, it was quite obvious little Lina was bored, and he knew she'd most likely enjoy a visit from him. She might complain a bit, but that never mattered. _Simply by being as much fun as I am, I'm quite sure my presence makes anyone's day at least fifty percent better… unless I'm _killing_ them. Never mind that, I'll just bring my 'gift' here down to her, and start the fun off by sneaking up on her. Lina does appreciate a good startle every now and then. It's good for the heart._ He levitated down to the ground, then silently snuck over to her tree and removed the lid.

* * *

Lina sighed and looked down at the small pile of rocks and pebbles she had gathered up. She was bored and tired of waiting and it had only been maybe half an hour. The small clearing they'd chosen for camp hadn't offered much in the way of entertainment, and this was the best she could do. While Zelgadis went hunting, she'd been trying to kill some time with a little game she'd just concocted. Unfortunately, it was harder to concentrate on her aim when she was so perplexed about the day's events. She leaned back against a tree as she stretched, and considered Xelloss' odd actions earlier that afternoon. Just seeing him again was a shock to her—she'd always figured that once whatever business he'd had with her was finished, he'd simply disappear. He had, too, for over two years. Well naturally, she'd wondered about him—from time to time—but that was all. She'd once read that Mazoku were able to attune to the astral signatures of places and other beings in particular. No sense in attracting the attention of such a high level Mazoku by asking after him, talking about him and the like. As attuned to her as he had once been, she was sure that that would be all it took to attract his notice. She wondered if that was the reason he'd popped up. There seemed no other explanation for it. His sudden appearance had been pretty pointless, but she hadn't given him the chance to explain himself. That is, if he even would, knowing him. Lina had just turned on her heel and marched off. Then _he'd_ only watched as they walked away. Why not attempt to join them, as he had in the past? Why show up after two years of nothing just to tease them? She certainly wasn't on some big quest, and last she checked, she hadn't heard of any pain in the ass prophecies, either. Just her, in a forest…

…With a crabby Chimera. Talk about a pain in the ass.

_Just what the hell was that all about anyway?_ Lina wondered. She glared at nothing in particular as she considered her traveling companion's actions that afternoon. _What a jerk! First he bitches about my plan, which would've worked had there only been any bandits around_. _Then Xelloss shows up and he goes completely mental!_ She threw the rest of her pebbles away in disgust. She knew he'd gone off to hunt mainly to be by himself and she still couldn't figure out why. _What had Xelloss done to him?_ Before he'd shown up, Zel had just been grumpy; afterwards, he was absolutely skittish. She kept going over it but still she was truly bewildered. She really hadn't given Xelloss much time to be annoying, right? She'd had the struggling Mazoku in a chokehold, so he hadn't been able to do anything! Well, it didn't seem Zel was going to tell her, no matter what. _Whatever, he'll probably be fine by the time he gets back_.

She snuggled up in her cloak against the tree and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her stomach complained loudly, making her grimace. Man, was she hungry. Lina rubbed her stomach miserably. She could almost smell the roast rabbit or whatever they'd be having later. She sniffed and definitely detected the aroma of stew. Zelgadis wouldn't have caught a couple of rabbits and decided not to share, would he? He wasn't _that_ mad at her, was he? Lina was puzzled. _If that was the case, Zel surely knows he would pay dearly for not inviting me to dinner…_

That smell had to be coming from somewhere! Her eyes shot open and darted around the clearing. _Hmmm, nothing_… But she could swear the smell was getting stronger. It smelled like rabbit, not much in the way of spice—probably pretty simple fare, but she was in no position to complain. Perplexed, she scanned the clearing another time, then tilted her head up to sniff. It _was_ close! Lina bowed over backwards so she could continue to follow her nose wherever it led her. _Funny, it seems to be right under my nose_… She opened her eyes, and found herself staring at a huge iron kettle. "What the—"

She had only been staring at it a second, when she heard a light masculine chuckle. Alarm shocked her out of her position as she jumped to her feet and backed off about five feet.

"My _goodness_ Lina, you can do _tricks_ too? Can I keep you?" She looked up and was annoyed to see Xelloss wink at her. He grinned, nonchalantly leaning against her tree, somehow balancing that enormous kettle on one hand.

Despite the fact that her heart was still racing from his sudden appearance, Lina's hopes leapt. _That kettle has to be here for a reason, and I know of none other than my stomach!_ She beamed at Xelloss, and his grin brightened in response. She pointed eagerly at the kettle. "Hiya, Xelloss! You wouldn't happen to have brought all that to eat by _yourself_, would you?" She began to inch a little closer to him, closing the gap little by little.

"Why, certainly not! That would be rude of me, don't you think?"

An abrupt thought stopped Lina in her tracks. "You didn't cook it, did you?" She eyed him suspiciously.

Xelloss pursed his lips and peered thoughtfully at her for a moment. He then indicated with a jerk of his chin the burden he was carrying. "Oh no… I just happened to be walking by elsewhere in the forest and found it stewing away unattended," she snorted at hearing him say this in a wondering tone, when suddenly he resumed his earlier perky demeanor. "So naturally I decided to take it to someone more appreciative!" He gestured towards her with a gentle sweep of his staff, and inclined his head to her.

"Really? It's for me? Well thenI humbly partake!" Her full-on charge gave Xelloss just enough time to swiftly place the kettle on the ground before Lina caromed off of him. This sent the Mazoku priest flying, however Lina was already digging into the stew and could hardly be bothered to care about that.

* * *

A few moments later, Xelloss frowned at her from where he lay sprawled in the dirt of the forest floor. "Really Lina, must you always be so violent when it comes to food? I'm not competition, you know." He may as well not have spoken—the feeding frenzy had begun. He stayed on the ground where he was, but propped himself up on his elbows to see her better. "Call it my peace offering to you." He paused for her reaction, and was pleased to note she actually stopped eating to look at him curiously. "I apologize for whatever I may have said to you this afternoon—I'm sorry I angered you." Xelloss dropped his gaze in order to pretend to appear faintly contrite. After a moment of her continuing silence, he looked up to see her staring at him as if he had grown another head. She swallowed a mouthful of stew slowly, and then burst into guffaws. He watched her sourly as she continued to laugh at him.

He sighed as he considered the situation; _I wouldn't believe me either, as Mazoku are never sorry for anything._ "Well anyway, never mind that. I had something of a trade in mind." Lina continued to giggle, but she continued to watch him as he spoke. "I promise you'll like what I'm selling. You might even find it interesting and more than a little enjoyable."

Lina was still wiping tears from her eyes and chuckling, but she composed herself eventually. "Ahem, heh heh… Uh, what's that, Xelloss?"

He finally got up from his reclining position to sit on his heels next to her and lean toward her confidentially. "Well, you were bandit hunting earlier, were you not?" At her slow nod he continued. "I can help you! I know of a bandit hideout not too far from here."

Lina looked at him warily. "You're not trying to pull the same trick on me twice, are you Xelloss?" His eyebrows rose, silently questioning her and Lina continued, "I mean, you're not going ahead to let them know we're coming to give them the chance to run?"

"Now why would I do that? I'm offering a sort of trade. You need to bulk up your traveling funds; in return, I'd like to join up with you again. I'm quite sure we can work something out."

"You want to do _what?_! I don't like that idea, Xelloss. You live to cause trouble, and I'm not in the mood for any." Lina crossed her arms, looking at him out of the corner of one eye. "I wouldn't even want to consider what Zel would do."

Now that last comment had him annoyed… "You're beginning to sound like him… Live a little." He looked deeply into her eyes, noting her nervousness. _I'm making little Lina into a ball of tension, despite all the nice things I'm trying to do for her!_ He held up his gloved hands as a gesture of harmlessness. "I'll not lead you into harm... I promise. I'll even 'pledge' it."

She gasped, her eyes growing wider as she grasped that Xelloss was actually in earnest. "You're serious!"

"Do you _want_ me to?" Violet eyes gleamed as he smiled mischievously at her.

Lina shuddered involuntarily. "I'll make no pledge with a Mazoku for any reason." She drew her knees up, clasped them in her arms and rocked back a bit. "Why do you want to follow us? What is it you want this time?"

"I'm following a bit of my own research, I suppose you could say."

"That's not an answer!" At this he opened his eyes again and stared at her crossly. He was beginning to get a bit frustrated with her. _Oh, how I miss her vanished gullibility! _

"I'm offering you easy gold, your old 'convenience item' back, and yet you still balk?" Xelloss let some of the frustration leak into his voice. She could be as blockheaded as a dragon sometimes, when she wanted to be. Besides, there was really no way she could say 'no' to _him_, was there? He was hardly prepared to back off, and continue following unbeknownst to her. All that remained was for Lina to accept gracefully, because this way promised to be _much_ more fun! Lord Xelas had asked him to keep an eye on Lina, which he could easily do while accompanying her. Xelas had also asked him not to be obvious about it. Certainly, he could be subtle. _Also, it's true about the good guardian remaining hidden, but there are no better than _I_ at hiding in plain view_. He knew very well that a swordsman, a sorceress and a priest traveling together would be unremarkable, to say the least.

_Well, traveling together for the time being, that is,_ his mind whispered darkly. Surely, driving off the Chimera would be easy enough. He shuddered to think he would have to waste the time to follow him on his ridiculous and never-ending search for a cure.

Lina spoke then, startling him out of his reverie. "Listen Xelloss, I know you'll do whatever you want anyway. But don't get in my way, and don't bait Zelgadis. I don't want you upsetting him like you did earlier. I want to have fun on our trip to Buldein."

"Buldein?" In amused bafflement Xelloss laughed, "That dusty old _hole_ in the_ ground_?"

"What do you mean, 'old hole in the ground'?" Lina glared at him, and leaned closer to him threateningly. "It's a perfectly reasonable place for me to go!"

Upon noting Lina's threatening stance toward him, Xelloss was amazed someone so diminutive in stature could still manage to loom so well. _It appears as if I might be getting two beatings from Lina in one day, which is quite a track record—even for me,_ he reflected. However, knowing Lina as he did, he knew exactly what to say to mollify her. "It is? I just can't imagine why someone of your caliber would have anything to do with the place."

She sat back on her heels, his offhanded compliment causing a slight blush to tinge her cheeks pink. "Well, that's none of your business anyway. If you don't like it, don't come."

"It's settled then. I'll be joining you for a while, Lina."

"Whatever." Lina's eyes rolled as she said it but then she said, "And what about those bandits?"

"I promise to lead you straight to them in the morning. Besides," Xelloss pointed at the kettle next to her, "don't you think I should return this?"

"I knew it!" Tackling him, Lina grabbed a fistful of Xelloss' cloak and dragged him up to eye level. He raised his eyebrows and tried to look innocent of whatever it was Lina thought he was guilty of. She snarled in his face as she shook him. "You were already there?"

_Ah, she suspects me of possibly backstabbing her_. "But it was only to snatch that kettle for you." His eyes bored into hers as he softly whispered to her, "You know well, Lina—when I wish to remain hidden—"

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Xelloss turned his head just enough so he could see Zelgadis standing at the edge of the clearing. Xelloss smiled to himself, thinking the evening suddenly took a turn for the better. This couldn't look good to the Chimera. Lina was practically sitting on his lap, no matter that she had a fistful of his cloak; Zelgadis was behind him and couldn't see that little detail. This suddenly must have occurred to Zelgadis too, because he abruptly paled in anger. "And _what_ the hell are you two up to?"

Xelloss tilted his head back and with a mischievous leer drawled, "Now Mr. Zelgadis, why'd you have to come and interrupt the fun I was having with my little Lina?" He illustrated his point by walking his fingers up her thigh.

Xelloss' little overture to Lina was punished swiftly with the application of her elbow in his throat. "Urk!" _She never appreciates me enough_… _And after all I've done for her!_

His eyes slid open to watch Lina look up at her friend. "What are you talking about Zel? I was just throttling him for some information."

Zelgadis relaxed then and said in exasperation, "I've already told you Lina, throttling doesn't hurt _him_, it's just a game to him."

"Well, maybe. But it sure makes _me_ feel better!"

This earned her a snorted, "Whatever."

Scowling at them both, Zelgadis strode into the clearing. As he passed Xelloss and Lina, he dropped a dead rabbit next to them. When Lina peered up at Zelgadis questioningly, he said, "I killed it, you clean it." He then tossed a sack next to the rabbit. "There're tubers in there. We can have—" He stopped when he saw the kettle. "You've already got food?"

Lina let go of Xelloss' cloak as she saw Zelgadis's disapproving frown. "Yeah… Xelloss brought it." Zelgadis closed his eyes and hung his head.

Xelloss waited for the inevitable outburst he could feel bubbling to the surface. Zelgadis stood with his head down and fists clenched, but the air was crackling with his fury. _The Chimera certainly can project anger and loathing very well. We'll surely have a nice journey with all this lovely negativity flying around, _Xelloss thought as he watched the Chimera beginning to boil over.…_Of course, that reminds me of someone's need for an attitude adjustment. I can think of a few ways in which he might learn some respect for his elders and betters_. He gazed flatly at Zelgadis. _Beast Master said Lina was the special human… she said nothing of the Chimera. I wonder what he'd look like if I _peeled_ the stone off_... Imagining violent things put the smile back on Xelloss' face.

Unaware of what images were flitting through the Mazoku's mind, Zelgadis finally blew up at Lina. Gesticulating at the kettle, Zelgadis shouted, "And you _ATE_ it! What the _HELL _were you thinking?"

Lina dropped Xelloss, then stood up and crossed her arms, glaring back at her friend. "Hey, damn it—I'm fine! He stole it from a bandit camp I'm gonna raid tomorrow!"

Xelloss felt it was the perfect time to break the news, and he wanted to be the one to do it. He jumped up with a grin on his face. When Zelgadis turned to glare wrathfully at him, Xelloss pointed at himself and winked at the Chimera. "Yes, Mr. Zelgadis, and I'm leading you there! I'll also be traveling with you from now on! Won't this be _fun_?"

That seemed to take something out of Zelgadis, and he slumped to sit on the ground. "Oh, I see." Zelgadis glared up at Xelloss. "Bandits and food was basically the price of admission, wasn't it?"

"Bingo! Admitted, one Mazoku!" He cracked an eye open to gauge Zelgadis's reaction. "You're taking this awfully well… I'm so pleased."

"Like I have a choice?"

"That's the spirit!" Xelloss laughed at Zelgadis's cold expression as he turned away from him. "I'll get the tea ready."

* * *

That night, Xelloss suggested to them that he take the entire watch to save them the trouble. His offer was refused by both humans. This didn't disappoint or surprise him; trust was such a scarce commodity these days. So, the first watch belonged to the Chimera. Xelloss watched him from his perch in a tree as Zelgadis moved around the camp. Lina was fast asleep in her bedroll, having turned in a few hours ago. Zelgadis hadn't said a single thing to him yet, which didn't surprise Xelloss in the least. Zelgadis could probably go the entire watch without saying a thing to him. In fact, the Chimera just sat in front of the fire doing nothing, as unmoving as a rock. Xelloss smiled and thought, _Nice__ analogy_.

Despite what he'd said earlier, Xelloss was of two minds about whether or not he was pleased with Zelgadis's acquiescence to their new travel arrangements. If Zelgadis chose to be a little more civil, he might get through this journey with his life. Xelloss would not have to be suspected of certain foul deeds by Lina, no matter how attractive said foul deeds were to him. Still, ticking Zelgadis off was so much fun, and ever so rewarding. Unfortunately Lina had told him to behave. It matters little, Xelloss decided. There would be numerous chances on the road to divide the two hot-tempered humans. That could come later, so for now he would pretend to get along. Whatever it took, it was worth it. He'd gotten awfully sick of flitting around through the trees, out of their sight and knowledge. Aside from that, if he had to protect Lina from attack, he'd much rather do it as a comrade at her side, rather than suddenly swooping in from nowhere and saving the day. That sort of approach smacked too much of the 'prince on a white horse' cliché which humans tended to love. Xelloss highly doubted Lina would react to it in the same way Martina had, years ago but his sudden appearance would raise questions. Of course, he preferred to be the one asking the questions.

Speaking of which, Xelloss was curious about a few things. He looked back down to the quiet camp, eyes resting briefly on Lina's sleeping form, then moving to spot the Chimera. _Surprise surpise, he hasn't moved an inch_. Softly, so as not to disturb Lina's rest, he addressed Zelgadis. "So, where's the swordsman?"

Zelgadis started, spooked by the unexpected comment in the otherwise silent clearing. He scrutinized Xelloss before saying, "He's in Navian."

"Oh? I've never heard of the place. It must be really boring and peaceful."

"I suppose." Zelgadis snorted at the Mazoku's assessment. "Lina left him there so he could retire, I guess."

_Well, wonders never cease!_ Zelgadis was in the mood to speak with him, actually answering questions instead of evading them. Xelloss grinned at him then, "Lina will probably go through more than a few sidekicks before she's done traveling."

"You know about that already?"

"How could I not?" Gracefully, Xelloss jumped down from his perch. He slowly rose from his crouch, his eyes fixed once again on the sleeping object of their discussion. "Little Lina has a surfeit of magical ability. I know what that does to a human; she's going to be around a long time…" He gazed down at the sleeping girl. "I'm sure she and I will be having fun for centuries, at least."

His gaze flicked to Zelgadis in time to see the Chimera shudder. "Why don't you leave her alone?" He growled at Xelloss. "What's your interest in her?"

"Normally, my dear Mr. Zelgadis, you know what I would say to that." A smile split the darkness of his shadowed features, but he didn't bother looking up. He could feel the Chimera's fascinated abhorrence well enough. Rather, he continued to study Lina's sleeping face as he continued to speak. "However, seeing as you've been so forthcoming to my questions, I'll play nice." Xelloss walked to the fire, seated himself in the grass, and gestured at Zelgadis's teapot. "May I?"

"Go ahead, you brewed it." Zelgadis nudged it close enough for Xelloss to help himself.

Eschewing Zelgadis's tin cap, Xelloss produced a china cup he kept on his person. He poured and said, "Why does Lina interest me, eh?" He sipped the tea and gazed thoughtfully into the fire as he considered the question. "I suppose it's for the same reasons the average human is terrified of her. Don't you think Lina's inordinately violent nature wouldn't please a Mazoku?"

Zelgadis "Don't tell me Mazoku are capable of crushes… I'd know you were lying."

Xelloss looked up then, his eyes opened wide in surprise and amusement. "A crush?" he laughed delightedly. "Maybe under Mazoku terms, I do!"

Zelgadis twitched in annoyance and glared balefully into the fire again. "Ridiculous. I'm sorry I asked."

After a while, something else occurred to Xelloss. He suddenly looked up at the Chimera, who tensed immediately. Ignoring the amusing fact that his every move put Zelgadis on the alert he asked, "So, you never told Lina what I did earlier this afternoon, did you?"

Zelgadis instantly blushed and looked away mumbling, "I fail to see what purpose that would have served."

"I'm shocked, Mr. Zelgadis. Surely you wouldn't pass up the chance to see Lina avenge herself upon my person?"

"If you want the pain, you tell her, pervert." Zelgadis continued to look away, still trying to hide the painfully obvious blush, much to Xellos' ongoing amusement.

He giggled softly but persisted, "But you're her friend. It's undoubtedly your duty to inform her."

Zelgadis clenched his jaw and growled, "No… you bastard... it was you that did it." He then glanced nervously over at his sleeping friend. "…And Lina doesn't know what 'don't kill the messenger' means."

"Especially when she also finds out you didn't step in to save her from me." Zelgadis turned to stare at him in surprise as Xelloss finished smoothly, "I'm sure that would be most displeasing to Lina."

They both turned to see Lina, still sleeping and blissfully unaware of the conversation. Zelgadis whispered to him, "L-let's just keep that little secret between us, alright?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Whew, what a problematic chapter! Should be smooth sailing from here on out for a few weeks. Well, the next chapter is looking mighty dark, so a little lighthearted stuff now will soften the blow. Like it so far? Let me know! 


	11. The Last Breath

The Last Breath

Lokhan was startled awake by a lot of shouting and people running past his tent. _What the hell? It's still morning, innit?_ He peered blearily out of his blankets, noting the morning sun's light had barely crept down the wall of his tent. He listened to the men running past his tent a little longer, trying to figure out what they were up to. They sounded excited. _What the hell's all this ruckus about? _Didn't the other guys have enough of their fill of partying the night before?

Last night had been a good score; they'd knocked over some Lord Baron High and Mighty type's carriage on the road to Seyruun. The footman, guards and driver were all killed on the spot, but the Baron, and his Missus were both kept for ransom if needed. They'd been herded out onto the side of the road and stood disheveled and shocked as the last of their men had been spitted on the Boss' sword. Then the carriage was put to the torch after all its contents had been hauled out.

Korest, leader of the Troll Bridge Bandit Gang had decided since the loot was good enough, no ransom was needed. The men had all cheered, because they all knew what that meant. When the take was good, everyone could count on the Boss to be charitable. Everything, even including the horses had been brought back to camp; the gold and other valuables stowed away and the captives were stripped of their finery. Their cries for mercy were ignored for a while, until they started to annoy the Boss. He'd told them they were already dead so there was no reason to cry about it, and he'd handed them over to a few of the more sadistic men in the gang. The Boss' charitable nature only extended to the men in his gang, after all. So the captives were dragged away and for the rest of the night, the Troll Bridge Bandit Gang's revelry was punctuated by the captives' shouts of outrage, which quickly turned to screams of agony. Lokhan had shrugged it off, as he always did. In fact, he couldn't really remember whether the screaming was sharply cut off while the third or fourth barrel of wine they'd taken from the roof of the carriage was being drunk. Nevertheless, his idea of joining in the fun later had died with the captives.

An explosion tore through camp and that finally got him out of his blankets. He rolled out of the tent, bow and quiver in hand. His first view of the camp woke him up completely, driving his memories of the night before away. Now alarm filled him as he saw the camp was under attack. _Shit!_ The Boss' hut was in flames… _where in the hell had that…?_ He dove to hide behind some bushes at the top of the gentle incline his tent was on. He began to pull an arrow from his quiver as he searched the area for any enemies. _Kingsmen__, maybe?_ He paused in puzzlement as he saw three people striding into camp. Two men led by… a woman?

No… a little girl… a red haired, snot-nosed little kid was attacking their camp? Barely able to believe his eyes, Lokhan peered more closely at her. _Okay not a kid, but no one could blame me for thinkin' it,_ he thought as he noted she did have _something_ there. Her cape, boots, strange gems… it all matched the description of a traveling sorceress. Some small sense of recognition was struggling to make itself known, but he shrugged it off. Sorcerers can be killed just as easily by an arrow if they're busy casting spells. Lokhan should know; he'd done it before. He nocked an arrow to his bow and sighted down it. _Hit the kid in the throat first; take her out before she casts something else._ Sure of his aim, he let fly his arrow and quickly followed up with two more aimed at her unimpressive chest.

They shattered off an invisible shield. Lokhan froze in surprise. _She was casting a spell, right?_ He watched her throw her spell, watched it roast his comrades. He looked back from the carnage to the three people standing below. He hadn't paid much attention to her companions, since they were following and didn't seem to be doing much of anything. One man was covered from head to toe in beige clothing; even his face was obscured by a mask. There was something odd about the man's skin Lokhan could see, it glittered strangely and wasn't it a bit too dark? He held a sword in one hand but seemed content to follow behind the sorceress. Lokhan's heart leapt when he spied his comrade Grodur charging silently from the rear to attack the three, but something must have given him away. The cloaked and muffled swordsman whipped around to dispatch the attacking bandit almost faster than Lokhan's eyes could follow. One moment more and Grodur might've had him, but in the next he was dead and sliding off the strange man's sword. Angered at the deaths of his fellow gang members, he nocked another arrow to his bow. Before firing, Lokhan's attention suddenly shifted to the priest.

He gasped as he saw the purple-haired man seemed to be looking straight at him. Was he the one casting the shield? It made sense since he was a priest after all, that's what they did for a living. _But how does he know I'm here?_ Lokhan moved deeper back through the underbrush which he had believed was hiding his position. When he looked at them again, the priest was still looking directly at him. _That's too uncanny, how can the bastard know?_ He loosed a few arrows at the man, who continued to watch him chuckling as they too shattered on the shield. A closer look told him there was something wrong with the man's eyes, but Lokhan couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Just then, amidst the explosions and screaming, he was knocked off his feet by a body stumbling into him. He looked up to recognize Poreg the Gambler's white, fear-stained visage as he flashed past him. Poreg continued to run although he screamed at Lokhan over his shoulder. "_Run_ you idiot! It's Lina Inverse and she's brought a pair of _demons _with her!"

"Demons?" Lokhan looked down and realized why he had felt that niggling recognition of the girl. _Lina Inverse,_ and _demons?_ She was starting to aim a spell his way, but what really got him running was the just-noticed disappearance of the priest. His blood turned to ice as he ran, leaving his hiding place behind him. _Demons?_ He asked himself again. _That explains why the one looked so odd, and maybe why that priest knew where I was hiding_. He recalled the priest's blood-chilling smile. There had been something purely predatorial in his gaze. _Now he's disappeared, and do I know for sure I don't hear footsteps behind me?_ He heard Lina Inverse's spell booming behind him, the shock causing him to drop his bow, but he didn't dare look back. All his attention was needed for the darker recesses of the forest ahead of him. He could retrieve his bow later. Hell, he could make a new one but he had to live to do that first. The camp was far behind him now, but memories of the terrible fate which had befallen his comrades lent wings to his feet. He was getting away from the massacre, which was all that mattered. There were several hiding spots he knew of in this section of forest. If he could only get deep enough, his dark clothing would blend in and no one would find him.

"I think you've run far enough, my dear Mr. Archer." Lokhan stumbled away from the voice in shock, and cracked his head as he fell against a tree. Useless arrows flew from his quiver, clattering and snapping as he landed.

He gaped up at the priest. He _had_ followed him, and the run hadn't even caused him to break a sweat. Lokhan tried to get up to run away but his legs felt like jelly and the knock on his head nearly made him faint from dizziness. He fell back against the tree and continued to stare up at the person standing before him. Close up he appeared to be entirely human, unlike his odd-looking companion. Furthermore, his smile reassured Lokhan. _Maybe he isn't a demon. Maybe he's just what he looks like, some traveling priest. He even carries a staff, even though it looks a bit odd,_ he thought as he observed the blood-red gem topping it. Despite those thoughts, he tried to scramble away as the man came closer.

The priest leaned over him and grabbed Lokhan's head roughly in his hands. The agony pounded through his entire body and he screamed in pain. All thoughts vanished for a moment as he began to black out. As he fought to stay conscious he heard the man say, "My _goodness_, that's quite the nasty bump you've got there."

Lokhan pushed weakly at the man, "Geroffa me," he sobbed. There was no chance, his head was caught in a vice grip and the slight movement made his head spin. He vomited suddenly, and his tormentor wasn't quick enough to avoid getting it on his boot. Lokhan watched the priest scuffing his foot against the forest floor feeling smug, but that disappeared when the man looked up. His eyes were open and Lokhan felt trapped in that gaze. Disgust was plain to see on his face, but his eyes resembled… a cat's?

His stomach clenched again and he remembered something Aunt Bessa had told him between constantly repeating 'good for nothing' and 'you'll come to a bad end.' She'd said _'Trolls and such are bad enough but if something looks human, but ain't got human eyes, run or yer done for.'_ Realization turned his blood to ice again, and caused a sickening coldness in the pit of his stomach. This priest wasn't human; it was a thing that just walked around looking like one. He started to crawl away, but was grabbed by the collar and thrown back against the tree.

"Oh no you don't… that's enough running for you today, Mr. Archer." He waited, terrified as the thing finished cleaning its boot on the grass. "You humans have some damned disgusting bodily habits, but I'll make sure you repay me for marring my boot." It looked up and chuckled, its smile back in place as it regarded Lokhan.

"I haven't done _anything_ to you!" Lokhan snarled, "Why follow me? Why throw me around? It's obvious you don't plan on dragging me back for any reward…" He stopped talking then, aware he might remind the thing, which was certainly a demon of some sort, that it was probably here to kill him. No human had eyes like that. But maybe if he kept the demon talking… he might escape.

"A reward?" The demon looked surprised a moment, then smiled broadly, "Whatever dearest Lina doesn't kill is my reward. I don't mind taking her leftovers." It added thoughtfully, "Even though there's not much left when she's done." The demon kneeled down and smiled gleefully into Lokhan's paling face to continue in a conversational tone of voice, "Really, you should be proud of yourself… you got away from her."

Lokhan despaired, looking into those purple slit-pupiled eyes. His hands scrabbled helplessly on the ground as the demon moved closer. One hand felt an arrow and grabbed it. One arrow might not be enough, but it was all he had. Before the demon got any indication something was amiss, Lokhan's arm flashed forward, his hand burying the arrow deep in its throat. The moment of victory was quickly over. His heart sank as he saw its expression change from shock to pleasure.

"You silly, naughty little human," it scolded him with a tight grin and a wink. "Don't you know you'd need something better against a Mazoku?" Lokhan almost fainted when with a sickening rip the demon pulled the arrow out of its throat without a shudder. Just as frighteningly, he saw the black-rimmed wound close up instantly. It paused to regard the arrow, shrugged and tossed it back over its shoulder. It turned back to face him and Lokhan managed to stammer out one the question he had left on his mind.

"A Mazoku? W-what sort of th-thing is that?" He'd never heard of them before, and he'd grab at any chance to keep the thing talking.

"You're about to find out!" It said cheerfully, firmly placing its hand over his heart. Jolts of energy suddenly coursed through his body and ripped a scream from his throat. Movements throughout the dark corner of the forest he'd fled to came to a halt as his screams tore through its morning stillness. Every nerve in the bandit's body was on fire as he convulsed in agony. His body arched of its own accord and his spine broke with a grinding snap under the pressure of his own constricting muscles. The power flow paused and he slumped down, sliding to the forest floor. For a while his ragged breathing was the only sound in the small clearing, but then the Mazoku priest spoke.

Over his sobbing gasps for breath, Lokhan heard the dark voice sigh rapturously. "Well, you can't run anymore, can you? But you can scream… yes, you _definitely_ can scream."

Once again, ear-piercing screams echoed through the forest, proving the Mazoku's point.

* * *

The sensation of life fled the body and Xelloss pulled his hand out of his victim's chest, releasing the heart from his grip. A sharp chopping movement of his arm cast a spatter of blood drops down and he sighed. "Didn't know what a _Mazoku_ was… What are they _teaching_ kids these days?" He let the body drop to the ground. He regarded it happily and lifting his bloodstained glove shook a finger at it, scolding the body teasingly. "I'd say you have a thorough education on Mazoku now, Mr. Archer. In fact, I'd say you've graduated with full honors!" Xelloss laughed as he walked away from his victim's rapidly cooling corpse.

As he walked back towards the camp, Xelloss held his still blood-soaked hands up for his inspection. There even seemed to be quite a bit drying on his face as well. _Time to clean up,_ he thought. It wouldn't do to let his companions on to what he'd been up to. His form melted away to reveal a spinning black cone. When he reformed, the blood had disappeared. Xelloss fussily slid a hand over his hair, making sure not a hair was out of place. When he was sure he looked his usual handsome self, he dematerialized thinking, _let's see what Lina is up to. I hope she won't be mad at me but I think I took too long with this one._

When he reappeared at the bandit camp, Xelloss heard Zelgadis' chiding voice. "Lina, don't you think you went a little overboard? I'm sure these guys had a bounty on their heads... you might not have wanted to kill them _all_."

Xelloss turned and followed a path downhill through the trees to rejoin his companions. They were just off the main clearing of the camp, in a thick stand of trees. Once through a break in the trees and underbrush, Xelloss paused to observe the tableau before him. Lina stood at the edge of a hole in the ground, and he could hear the drone of hundreds of flies issuing from it. She was backing away slowly and staring down, an unreadable expression on her face. Aside from that she looked a little green, but Xelloss felt sure he already knew why. Zelgadis stood on the edge of the clearing a distance away from her. His arms were crossed in reproach as he gazed dispassionately at the charred remains of the bandit gang.

"Like I wanted to cart the lot of them to the next town! And besides, you haven't seen this… Get yer ass over here, Zel."

Zelgadis shrugged and walked over to join her. He glanced down and spun away violently. Xelloss felt Zelgadis' horror and disgust as he watched him kneel on the ground. Unlike Lina, it didn't surprise Xelloss when the Chimera lost what small amount of breakfast he'd had that morning. Wiping his mouth, Zelgadis grated at Lina, "Couldn't you have had the decency to warn me before I saw that?"

"You might've chosen not to look," Lina said as she backed away from the edge of the pit and looked sadly at her friend. "If you hadn't seen it, wouldn't you still be griping at me about bounties?"

"Good point, Lina dearest. Seeing is believing, or so they say." Xelloss walked past Zelgadis to make a show of peering interestedly into the pit. "What's this? Oh my, it seems our bandit friends had quite a party recently." Yes, it was just as he'd suspected. Two nude bodies, their chalky skin glowing whitely in the dimness of the glade, lay atop a pile of refuse. Black bruises and open wounds attested to the manner in which they'd died, although it was hard to say which injury had killed them. While he was with Lina and Zelgadis, he'd felt the agonies the bandit gang had inflicted on their victims throughout the night. Even over such a distance, they'd experienced enough pain and horror it had pleased him, yet he had felt no need to leave camp. They had died finally near the middle of Lina's watch last night. Xelloss waved away some flies and stepped back from the bandits' midden. It wasn't his business what the bandits had done, but he wasn't about to let his companions know his secret.

"Where the hell have you been?" Xelloss turned to see Zelgadis rising unsteadily his feet.

He smiled at the Chimera's accusing glare. "Oh, just clearing up some loose ends."

Before Zelgadis got the chance to retort, Lina turned and pushed the Mazoku closer to the pit. "Xelloss, take care of it."

He looked down again in distaste at the white-skinned corpses lying atop the trash heap. _This is patently unfair of her! I'm not here to clean other peoples' messes!_ He whined, "But Lina! Why do you have to make _me_ the trash man?"

"No 'but's'! Just do it! It's making me sick just looking down there, and your little 'party' comment reassures me you don't share my problem." She grabbed the Chimera by the arm and dragged him off. "C'mon Zel, let's leave him to it."

Xelloss watched her stomping off with Zelgadis in tow and turned to gaze down into the midden. Clouded dead eyes stared back at him. Addressing them maybe, he muttered, "I suppose according to some, we _all_ have our uses." With a flick of his finger, everything below him burst into flames. Flies buzzed up angrily or were swallowed by the hungry blaze. He stayed to make sure the bodies, along with all the other trash, were consumed by the flames. Once all below him was finally alight, he stepped away and cast about, looking for Lina. _That far already, eh Lina?_ Then he disappeared, leaving the flames to rage alone.

Author's Notes: Sorry my new chapter took so long folks. Regarding the OC POV, I have to ask; does it throw you off? Some of the wonderful people on the Linaxelloss board thought it an interesting departure, but I remain curious. Let me know what you think, as always. Is it dark enough, Ishy? Is it too dark for anyone else?

Also, my eternal gratitude goes to Kaeru Shisho, who was kind enough to lend me her time and beta this. Between her and the PM, I should remain on the straight and narrow in regards to punctuation and story direction.


	12. An Inn at Last!

Author's Notes: Egad, I made everyone wait so long for a new chapter! This is just a little silly thing I'm submitting to tide everyone over until I can get more work done on the rest of the story. Hope I don't get shot! (gets shot anyway) Owie.

An Inn at Last!

(Hey! Who ordered the fanservice!)

"Waugh!" Lina exclaimed as she finally stumbled out of the cover of the trees and out onto a wide road. "If I never see that forest again, it'll be too soon."

"You're the one who said it was a shortcut." Zelgadis replied, absently plucking leaves out of his wiry hair.

"And so it is, Mr. Zelgadis," Xelloss interjected smoothly. "The King's High North Road meanders past a few towns to the east of us on its way north to Seyruun. Passing through this forest shaved approximately three days off our journey."

Zelgadis frowned at the use of 'our' in Xelloss' statement, not liking the reminder that the Mazoku priest was a part of their group now. He turned away, easily catching up to Lina because she had paused in the middle of the road to peer intently off into the distance. Zelgadis' eyes followed her gaze. "Hmm, looks like an inn."

Lina's eyes began to gleam in a manner which made him nervous. "You don't say?"

"If I am not mistaken, I believe that must be the Beef and Barrel Inn up ahead." Zelgadis started in surprise. He hadn't heard or, for that matter, felt Xelloss sidle up next to them.

"'Beef and… Barrel'?" He repeated the name curiously. "It sounds absolutely ridiculous," Zelgadis added. Lina, he noticed, had other ideas.

"Sounds like my kinda place, guys! Let's get going!"

Zelgadis watched Lina speed off towards the inn and sighed. "At least it's a sign of civilization, for whatever that's worth." He raised his hood and mask in place and hurried after his friend.

When he walked through the doors, he found himself just in time to watch Lina work her haggling magic on the elderly proprietor. Lina howled in outrage, "What you charge for these rooms would be considered robbery anywhere else! I should just continue to take my chances with the forest!"

The man blustered a moment at Lina's accusations but went on to quaver nervously, "Oh no Miss, you don't want to do that! Why, you're sure to run afoul of the Troll Bridge Bandit Gang! In fact, if you've been in the forest, it's a sheer miracle you haven't already! You shouldn't go pressing your luck like that!"

"What do you mean, 'pressing my luck'?" She turned to see Zelgadis standing behind her and Xelloss in the doorway. "Hey guys, do you suppose that's the name of the band we wasted yesterday?"

Zelgadis stared down at her indifferently and would have commented on how Lina hadn't exactly given the band time to posture and talk themselves up, thereby giving them a clue as to _which_ gang of bandits they actually were, but Xelloss chose that moment to pipe up.

"You know, I do believe that's who they were!"

"Ah. So…" Lina turned back to the gaping innkeeper. "You say they were terrorizing everyone around here?" When the innkeeper nodded, dumbfounded at the news, Lina chuckled, "Well, they're not going to be doing that anymore."

Xelloss smiled and chirped, "Unless some innocent traveler happens upon their corpses in the forest! That would be the only way they could terrify anyone now!"

Zelgadis edged away from Lina as she joined in Xelloss' laughter. _No wonder they get along so well, _he thought morosely. _Sometimes Lina seems like a Mazoku herself._ He covered his eyes and shook his head despairingly. Did she really have to scare the hell out of people wherever she went? Thanks to her, the elderly innkeeper looked as though he might faint and now was probably too scared to rent rooms to them. He probably thought they were demons or something. Soon enough, someone was going to whip out charmed amulets and pass out the pitchforks. Yes, it would all end badly, he was certain. It would all end with Lina standing atop the smoking ruins of the inn. He tensed up in preparation for the trouble that was sure to come.

Lina however, had other ideas about what was going to happen. "Hey Pops? Since we performed such a valuable service, what do you say to a discount on the rooms?"

Zelgadis had to give the old guy some credit; he recovered from the one shock to protest his new outrage at Lina's idea. Nevertheless, it was settled quickly after that. When Lina began to loom threateningly over the counter as she grated out, "Discount them!" the old man shrank back and thrust the appropriate paperwork over the counter at her in a panic.

Once everyone had signed their papers, the old man collected them tearfully, sniffling as he said, "It's almost like dealing with the bandits again…"

"Ah, quit your crying, Pops. Soon enough, you'll have plenty of travelers passing through that you can bilk with your prices. C'mon guys, let's eat!"

* * *

"Damn it Xelloff!" Lina complained around a mouthful of food, "Order your own!"

"But how would I know if I liked them or not? Just one?"

"No means no, damn you!"

"Please?"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes as he watched Lina tear her way through another order of beef skewers while fending off the winsomely smiling Mazoku. Zelgadis, having eaten his normally modest dinner, was now sipping tea and watching, annoyed, as Xelloss persisted in teasing her about wanting her food. He knew it was simply so the Mazoku could enjoy the disgust and repugnance of the other diners at the inn as Lina would eat more voraciously in retaliation to his overtures. _The jerk,_ Zelgadis groused to himself. He had been hoping for a quiet evening after the trek through the forest and especially after yesterday, but Xelloss couldn't leave well enough alone, damn him. Whatever. He didn't have to sit here and watch. "I'm going to my room. Lina, I hope we can get an early start tomorrow."

"Sure, whatever you say buddy. Early start, no problem." Lina tossed back her ale.

As Zelgadis walked away, he heard Xelloss say to Lina, "Oh my, I wonder why he's so grouchy?"

"No idea," Lina concluded as she went to finish off her tenth plate of beef skewers. "I SAID HANDS OFF, DAMN YOU!"

"Ouch! Lina, you're mean!"

Zelgadis twitched and stomped his way upstairs.

* * *

After dinner, Lina decided a bath was exactly what she needed. Zelgadis had said something about an early start, but he was a typical kind of guy… _if you ignore the Chimera thing,_ Lina amended. Guys had no idea what a girl had to go through to stay beautiful. Guys called rinsing off the sweat in a cold stream good enough, but a girl had to invest time and care into her skin. Besides, she'd have to be an idiot to pass up on having this huge bath all to herself. She hadn't seen any other women travelers in the inn, so it truly was hers.

As she rested her head back on the rim of the enormous tub, Lina's eyes drifted shut. _What a hell of a week_… she frowned slightly trying to remember. _What had that gang called themselves? The Troll Bridge Goblins? Does it matter? They're all dead now. The world's better off without that kind of scum. _Her mind drifted back to the events of the previous day. The stash had been worthwhile and she was glad they had been able to stow away most of it. They would have been able to get all of it if Xelloss hadn't disappeared like he did.

While searching for Xelloss' worthless ass, they'd stumbled upon the makeshift grave. Lina had been first to see it, spurred ahead by a sinking suspicion as she heard the greedy buzzing of flies. She'd looked into the midden and although it was something she'd kind of expected she'd still had to steel herself and keep the contents of her stomach in place. Those people had been horribly mutilated and thrown carelessly atop a garbage pit. The two bodies were dead not even a day and judging from the expressions frozen on their faces, they'd died in pain. They'd been thrown in like so much rubbish and that alone sickened her more than the smell of the garbage. Lina wished herself capable of bringing the villains responsible back to life, just so she could punish them again. Anger pushed her nausea aside and when Zelgadis had complained about the way the bandits had been treated, she had motioned him over. She was surprised he'd come so readily to look. Maybe he'd dealt with bandits before, but he might never have seen what the truly depraved ones were capable of. She was fairly certain of this after having seen his violent reaction. She hadn't expected Zel to turn around and lose his breakfast.

Then Xelloss had shown up and the dark smile on his face hinted to her what he'd been up to. Lina shuddered thinking, _I might be glad I wasn't around to see it, but I hope he had fun with whichever one of those bastards he'd caught_. In light of their discovery in the glade, Lina had decided they couldn't stick around any longer. She forgot about using Xelloss as a pack mule, he had other uses. She'd told him to take care of it and left with Zelgadis, sure the Mazoku had known her meaning. When the wind brought the nauseating scent of burning flesh to her, she was assured she'd been right. Despite her long association with him and no matter how well they worked together, Xelloss sometimes still managed to give Lina the chills. The strange look on his face recalled to mind the self-satisfied cat returning from its hunt with a dead mouse in its mouth. _Thank everything holy and unholy, he'd had his fun far from me. The less I know_… Xelloss was always an enigma to her. _I'll never figure him out, _she thought. _He can bend over backwards to be decent to me, then in a flash will turn around to torture someone to death_. She was certain that's what the Mazoku had been up to while he'd been away. Despite his protestations to the contrary, the raid had seemed an excuse to get something he'd wanted. She had to be honest with herself though. _I got what I wanted from it too, didn't I? Sometimes I wonder if I'm worse than Xelloss. He's following his nature at least but I'm killing bandits for fun and profit_.

Her eyes opened and she stared up into the clear night sky. Stars twinkled overhead and she studied them intently, her mind on things other than their chill beauty. Her concerns were of a more worldly nature right now. It bothered her that yesterday's events bothered her. After all, she'd seen far worse in her time! _What am I doing, going soft? _Lina shook her head and sank deeper into the water until it touched her chin. _The hell with self-doubt, punishing bandits _is_ in my nature. If I stopped doing that, I'd be going against my natural instincts. That's an evil of a sort isn't it? Never mind that, _she decided. She sank into the water to her chin and closed her eyes. _I'm going to soak until I look all pruny. I'm going to sleep in late, no matter what Zel says, I'll have a big breakfast and when we set out we'll take it easy. _

Maybe when they got to Seyruun, they'd drop in to see Amelia. Lina snorted suddenly as she remembered Amelia's past reactions to her sometimes sudden appearances. _If Amelia tries to act like she doesn't recognize me again, she's in deep trouble_. _Surely she wouldn't mind putting me and Zel up for the night? We won't be staying long in any case because Buldein's awfully close now_. Who knows? Maybe Amelia would join them if she didn't have those annoying 'pressing matters of state.' She could be there and back before her father missed her.

Lina heard a splash and felt a ripple of water wash over her chin as someone got into the bath with her, interrupting her train of thought. _Maybe a waitress has just finished her shift?_ Lina wondered as she opened her eyes and prepared to welcome the girl.

For a moment she stared in shock at her bath partner, uncomprehending horror freezing her in place. Then the unwelcome presence spoke. "My goodness, this certainly _does_ relax one after such a long day!" Xelloss sat four feet away from her in the water.

He grinned at her and before his gaze might drop to what the water wasn't hiding well, Lina ripped off the rag holding her hair in place. As her hair tumbled down around her shoulders, she covered her breasts self-consciously, blushing furiously. Once she was sure she was semi-adequately covered, Lina's anger started to take control. Her right eyebrow started to twitch as she gritted her teeth and glared accusingly at the grinning Mazoku sharing her bath with her.

"Xelloss," she dragged his name out and continued threateningly, "What do you think you're doing in the women's' baths? Don't you think the other side of the wall is where you belong, you pervert?" She pointed at the divider separating the men's baths from where they currently were.

"Oh no… I fit right in here, don't you think?" He sat up straighter and Lina felt the blood draining out of her face as she saw... _Breasts?__ What the…_ He… she… whatever cracked an eye open to study her. "Lina? You don't look your usual healthy self all of a sudden! Your color's gone way off… Is your dinner not agreeing with you?"

Lina wasn't fooled into thinking Xelloss was concerned. There was a little too much glee still in his voice for her to ever be misled. Unfortunately much to Lina's disgust, the purple-haired vision of horror started moving across the bath towards her. Her mind locked on the words, 'Xelloss' and 'breasts'. She felt like she might faint but Lina felt panic begin to rise and she squeaked, "_Xelloss! _Not _another_ step, damn it! You stay over on that side!" She raised a dripping, quivering hand to point at the other side of the tub. The formerly male-seeming Mazoku complied, sinking back down into the water, although not far down enough to hide a certain area of flesh which absolutely didn't belong. Once Xelloss had sat back down, Lina felt her reason and sanity returning to her. Annoyed, Lina glared at his (her?) chest suddenly. "W-where in the hell did you get those?" Mentally she added ..._and where do I sign up to get a pair _that_ size?_

Xelloss looked down, "But Lina, aren't these required for being in the women's baths?" His questioning look was immediately replaced by a grin which seemed even more annoying than usual as he drawled, "And hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to stare?"

"Geh," she grunted as she tore her eyes away. _What the hell is going on? Even his _voice_ sounds different!_ "Aside from that, change back to your normal form!"

"Well Lina, I hardly think my 'normal' form is one you want to see! And if I change back to what you're used to, then I'd have to go over to the other side!" She rolled her eyes as he pouted at her, "And I don't wanna go! The women's baths are much cozier than the men's." Xelloss gestured down at himself. "Switching gender was a smart way for me to follow the rules, wouldn't you agree?"

It was very obvious to Lina how much the Mazoku was enjoying her disgust and discomfiture, if his wide grin was any indication. Angrily she snapped, "'Follow the rules'? Ha! I think you've broken them irreparably!"

Just then, they heard a splash from over the partition and Zelgadis' voice floated over the wall. His embarrassment at addressing a naked girl despite the partition separating them was clearly evident in his soft voice. He mumbled slightly louder this time, "Lina? Is everything alright over there?"

Even as Lina was wondering how to phrase her peculiar predicament, Xelloss piped up, "Now _there's_ a reason to go over to the men's side!"

Lina gasped in alarm, "Change back," then as she realized she was speaking to empty air she finished lamely, "…first."

She sighed and shook her head, suddenly feeling her plans for a long soak were entirely ruined. _Maybe he won't end up blowing up the bath house. Zelgadis is tough; he can handle Xelloss… I hope._ At the very least she could finally get out of the water now.

* * *

Zelgadis was still waiting for a reply from Lina when he suddenly realized he was not alone in the men's baths. He froze in place, standing perfectly still in the middle of the steaming pool of water. His senses shouted _'ENEMY!' _at him but as his gaze darted around the bath chamber, there was nothing he could see. All he could hear was water sloshing and dripping. There also were the sounds of Lina getting out of the bath in the next room, the thought of which alone made him blush deeply. Even so, Zelgadis was perplexed because he could have sworn he'd heard more than just Lina's voice raised in annoyance. Still suspicious, he turned around and found himself nose to nose with a familiar smiling face.

"Oh, hi Mr. Zelgadis!"

Rather than replying, Zelgadis glared balefully at the smiling face and began backing away slowly. _Damned Mazoku, _he thought. _I may have to travel with him, but I am _not_ sharing a bath with him. _He paused in suspicion. There was something even more disturbing than normal about Xelloss. His usual sick-headed grin seemed a bit wider, which never boded well for anyone.

"What the," Zelgadis growled as he made the mistake of looking down. Uncomprehending terror filled him and after one frozen second he burst into action. Water exploded in all directions as Zelgadis found the quickest possible route to the other side of the bath. Much to his further displeasure, the first thing out of his mouth wasn't a cool insult or a declaration of intent to kill. It'd sounded more like a squeak of terror.

He turned, still choking on the water he'd inhaled as he tried to scream and swim at the same time. His eyes watered as he pounded his chest and Xelloss' form swam in his vision. _I will not pass out,_ Zelgadis told himself sternly. Looking back at Xelloss, Zelgadis reminded himself that it wasn't really a girl he was looking at _...so why the hell am I blushing! _He scrubbed at his face, trying to hide his reaction from the demented Mazoku. It wasn't working, he noted as Xelloss just smiled all the wider. He wanted to pound the bastard's face in… only the thought of touching the Mazoku at this point made him shudder with disgust, so that left spells. Unfortunately there was only spell Zelgadis could bring to mind. Even though he knew it was a useless gesture against the Mazoku horror invading his bath, Zelgadis raised two shivering wet arms and choked a quiet "Fireball." His aim was off, because how could he aim without actually looking at his target? Despite that, the fireball flew towards his enemy but sizzled, making a 'poof' sound as it was absorbed by Xelloss' shield. Zelgadis' hopes plummeted as if they, too, were made of stone.

* * *

Lina paused and cocked her head to listen suspiciously when all noises coming through the partition ceased. Aside from the huge splash she'd heard a moment ago, there had been nothing since. That alone made her very nervous. She should hear Zel shouting and leaving, not… a whisper? She strained her ears harder. _What the…_ _that whisper _sounded_ like Zel, but what in the world is going on over there?_ Lina turned around and stared directly at the wall separating the two halves of the bath house. Curious and somewhat concerned, Lina crept over to the partition and placed her ear against it to listen carefully. Just as she did that, she heard a funny-sounding 'poof' noise.

Xelloss' laughter bubbled over the partition, high-pitched and effeminate. "Oh my, aren't you the energetic one! That actually tickled though!"

Incredulous, Lina's eyes shot wide open. Alarm warred with a serious case of the giggles as Lina tried pressing closer to the partition to better hear what came next. Again, she heard Zelgadis murmuring and the splash of water and the next thing she knew, the barrier safely separating her from the men's baths had crashed down. What was worse, the tightly woven reeds of the partition had snagged on her towel, tearing that off as well.

For a moment the tableau remained frozen as she paused, still crouching although without her towel and mortified now as well. Zelgadis was locked in place, panic etched deeply on his beet-red face and his eyes darted around the room, trying to land anywhere aside from both Xelloss and Lina. He looked like his eyes might pop out of his skull at any moment. Xelloss stood in the middle of the bath, his grin threatening to split his face as he soaked in the horrified mortification of the two humans.

The sounds of Xelloss' barely stifled giggles finally shocked her into action and Lina ripped the towel off the reed wall at her feet, wrapping it tightly around her. She straightened up and glared at her two companions. Zelgadis hurriedly closed his eyes and turned away, still blushing fiercely. She shrieked angrily, "How dare you stare at me! I oughtta—"

Xelloss giggled and both humans blanched as portions of his anatomy jiggled. "Why Lina, how dare you spy on us! You should be ashamed! Mr. Zelgadis and I were having a 'moment'!"

Zelgadis whipped around to protest heatedly, "We were not! You—"

His words were cut off as Xelloss suddenly dematerialized and reappeared behind him, male once more as he wrapped his arms around the outraged Chimera and pressed close. "Don't try to deceive her, Mr. Zelgadis. You were blushing because of me! It's so cute!" One of Xelloss' fingers began to lazily trace circles around one of the pebbles dotting Zelgadis' chest. Lina's eyes bugged out and she instantly forgot all about her righteous anger. _That's it_, she decided, _Xelloss must have gone insane. _She watched Zelgadis for a reaction, because he seemed petrified by Xelloss' touch. She peered closer... he didn't even appear to be breathing. Just as Lina began having thoughts about interfering out of pity for her poor friend, he finally moved. Zelgadis' eyes rolled up into his head and he slipped down, disappearing beneath the water's surface.

Xelloss glanced curiously down at the ripples Zelgadis left in the water as he sank. "How disappointing," he sighed. "I was expecting a Rah Tilt at the very least."

Lina growled and shook her fist at the Mazoku, "Damn it Xelloss, there's only so much horror the human mind can handle! Now get him before he drowns!"

Xelloss looked slightly testy as he glanced up at her, Lina figured it was due to hearing her refer to him as a 'horror', but he ducked down and retrieved the unconscious Chimera anyway. Lina was so furious with Xelloss she could care less about how annoyed he might have been. When Zelgadis was draped safely over the side of the pool, Lina stormed over and pushed Xelloss out of the way with a snarl. She began pounding on Zelgadis' back, trying to get him to cough up any water he might have inhaled and was rewarded when he began sputtering after a few moments. He twisted his head up to see what was going on, as if he'd forgotten where he was. He stared dully up at her for a second, then his expression turned to one of overwhelming shock and he promptly fainted again.

Lina turned her glare on Xelloss and before she could accuse him of mentally scarring Zelgadis for life, she realized he was still unclothed as well. The new round of verbal abuse she'd prepared died in her throat. Xelloss stood a few feet away, his thick hair plastered to his skull and rivulets of water dripping down his shoulders, beading on his chest and… oh. Blushing beet red yet again, Lina whipped around and shrieked over her shoulder at him, "XELLOSS! Quit goofing off and put some _clothes_ on! I need help getting Zel back to the inn! And bring some towels… this is more of Zel than I wanna see."

Xelloss appeared in front of her, clothed once more in his customary priest garb. Wordlessly, he tossed a stack of towels next to her and Lina threw them over Zelgadis before she dragged him further out of the water. Before Lina had time to send a fervent prayer of gratitude winging to whatever deity might hear, the sound of giggling made her turn to regard Xel again. He stood over her, his eyes cracked open and a broad smile spreading across his face. "My goodness," he brightly observed as he peered at her closely, "I had no idea a blush went so far below the neckline!" He added teasingly as he winked at her, "Oh Lina, did you notice your towel had slipped? I think Mr. Zelgadis did."

The only consolation Lina had was when his giggling was cut off sharply by her fist in his face.

* * *

AN: ...I blame Ranma. Also, the little bit of XZ was a tribute to a friend who'd beta read for me in the past. In any case, this is a serious (?)departure from my usual, so let me know what you think! 


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